iiu  of 


Division 

Range 

Shelf 

Received 


187&" 


TREATISE 

ON 

MILCH    COWS, 

WHEREBY 

THE  QUALITY  AND  QUANTITY  OF  MILK 

TSiCH  ANY  COW  WILL  GIVE  MAY  BE  ACCURATELY  DETERMINED  BY  OBSERVING  NATffJUl 

MARKS  OR  EXTERNAL  INDICATIONS  ALONE;   THE  LENGTH  OF  TIME 

SHE  WILL  CONTINUE  TO  GIVE  MILK,  &c. 

BY    M.    FRANCIS    GUENON, 

OF  LIBOURNE,  FRANCE. 

TltA.NSLA.TBD  FOR  THE  FARMERS'  LIBRARY,  FROM  THE  FRENCH 

BY  N.  P.  TRIST,  ESQ. 
LATE  UNITED  STATES  CONSUL  AT  HAVANA. 

WITH   INTRODUCTORY 

REMARKS  AND  OBSERVATIONS, 

ON  THE 

COW  AND  THE  DAIRY. 


BY    JOHN    S.    SKINNER. 
Sixty-third  Thousand* 

New-YorTt: 
PUBLISHED    BY    ORA1STG-E    JUDD    &    CO., 

245    BROADWAY. 


r 
r 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  I85ff, 

BY    C.    M.    SAXTON    &    CO 

to  tte  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  i&  uaA 
the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


FOURTEENTH   EDITION. 


NATIONAL  TRIBUTE  OP  THE  FRENCH  GOVERNMENT 

TO 

M.  GUENON, 

FOR  HIS  VALUABLE  DISCOVERY  WITH  REGARD  TO 

MILCH     COWS. 

PENSION  OF  THREE  THOUSAND  FRANCS  A  YEAR  TO  THE  AUTHOR. 


THE  National  Assembly's  Committee  on  Agriculture  have  unanimously  voted  to  confer 
on  M.  GUENON  a  pension  of  three  thousand  francs  a  year,  in  consideration  of  his  discovery 
of  an  infallible  method  for  determining  the  capacities  of  milch  cows.  This  method  is  the 
same  as  has  become  so  generally  known  and  appreciated  throughout  the  United  States, 
through  the  medium  of  that  excellent  little  work  published  by  you  containing  a  translation  of 
M.  Guenon's  treatise  on  the  subject. 

The  committee,  in  the  report  (which  will  soon  be  presented  to  the  Assembly,  and  no  doubt 
adopted  with  unanimity),  say  that  the  method  has  been  subjected  to  the  most  thorough  tests, 
and  that  no  doubt  can  exist  as  to  its  infallibility  ;  by  following  the  directions  of  M.  Guenon,  as 
laid  down  in  the  treatise,  any  one  can  tell  with  certainty  whether  a  cow  is  a  good  milker,  or 
whether  a  young  heifer  will  become  one,  so  that  there  need  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  profit  of  rais 
ing  an  animal,  and  no  chance  of  being  taken  in  in  the  purchase  of  one.  By  this  means  the 
farmer  may  select  among  his  young  calves  those  that  will  give  abundance  of  milk  when  they 
are  raised,  and  dispose  of  the  rest  at  once  for  the  shambles.  No  breeder  of  cattle  need  be 
told  of  the  immense  advantages  which  such  a  guide  confers. 

The  committee  say  that  a  discovery  of  this  nature,  which  adds  so  largely  to  the  actual 
worth  of  the  country,  is  pre-eminently  deserving  of  a  national  acknowledgment,  and  they  ac 
cordingly  propose  that  the  Republic  confer  upon  M.  GUENON  the  pension  of  three  thousand 
francs  as  a  testimony  of  the  estimation  in  which  it  holds  his  services  as  a  public  benefactor. 

Against  such  an  appropriation  of  the  public  money  there  can  be  no  objection.  How  much 
mort  rational  it  is  that  pensions  and  honors  should  be  bestowed  upon  those  who,  by  valuable 
scientific  discoveries,  by  improvements  in  agriculture  and  manufactures,  render  themselves 
permanently  useful  to  the  world,  than  upon  cheating  politicians  and  successful  soldiers. 

Yours  respectfully,  C.  A.  D. 


REPORT  TO  THE  NATIONAL  ASSEMBLY. 


THE  congress  had  just  expressed  a  wish  that  "  Guenon'fs  Theory  of  the  Milk-giving  Prop- 
\  erties  of  Cows"  published  some  years  since,  should  be  thoroughly  examined  and  reported  on 
)  when  M.  Guenon  himself  arrived  in  Paris.     Called  here  on  business  of  a  private  nature,  he 
)  readily  set  aside  everything  to  place  himself  at  the  disposal  of  your  honorable  body. 
)       After  many  disappointments,  he  came  to  ask  of  you  a  public  expression  of  your  approba 
tion,  and  of  the  countrv,  an  exhibition  of  national  gratitude  for  a  discovery  surrendered 
without  reserve  to  the  common  good,  when  he  might  have  kept  his  secret  to  himself,  with 
its  certain  emoluments. 

A  just  love  of  celebrity,  perhaps  even  the  vague  hope  of  a  recompense  proportioned  to  the 
service  he  had  rendered  the  country,  brought  him  to  your  bar,  and  placed  him  under  your 
patronage. 

It  was  immediately  decided  that  a  committee  should  accompany  him  to  some  dairy,  and 
there  apply  aud  demonstrate  the  principles  he  has  promulgated.  If  a  decisive  test  confirmed 
all  that  you  were  led  to  expect,  it  became  you,  gentlemen,  to  give  from  this  spot  —  the  great 
centre  of  knowledge  —  a  striking  consecration,  too  long  desired,  of  Mr.  Guenon's  singular 
discovery. 

The  farmer  exercises  an  art  essentially  practical,  and  will  not  reject  an  obviously  useful 
processs  because  he  may  not  appear  to  understand  it.  His  science  is  that  of  facts,  which 
he  studies  with  a  view  to  their  application. 

In  obedience  to  your  call,  forty  or  fifty  members  of  the  congress  assembled  on  the  30th  of 
March,  to  enter  upon  the  investigation  that  you  had  ordered.     At  the  head  of  your  com-  i 
mittee  were  two  of  your  presidents  —  M.  Fouquier  d'Herroul,  known  for  his  eminent  services 
as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  cattle,  and  M.  Dupin,  who  is  always  te  be  found  at  his  post 
where  the  national  interest  is  concerned.     Other  distinguished  agriculturists  were  upon  the 
committee,  and  the  intelligent  ami  ingenious  man  on  whose  account  this  meeting  was  held, 
and  for  whom  the  investigation  was  to  be  decisive,  accompanied  it,  with  a  calm  confidence 
derived  from  the  hope  of  an  impartial  decision  and  a  deep  conviction  of  his  rights. 
Arrived  at  the  dairy,  thirteen  cows  were  offered  for  inspection : — 

2  Cotentines,*  thorough-bred. 
I  Cotentine,  half-blood. 

6  Normans,  more  or  less  crossed.. 
1  Swiss. 

3  of  Flemish  and  Durham  blood. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  proof,  Mr.  Guenon  called  our  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  excep 
tional  manner  in  which  the  Parisian  cows  were  fed,  might  produce  some  abnormal  results. 
This  was  considered  a  sufficient  reason  to  allow  a  latitude  of  one  or  two  pints  to  his  estimate, 
instead  of  anticipating  the  exact  results  which  he  claims  under  ordinary  circumstances. 

As  soon  as  a  cow  was  brought  out,  the  amount  of  miik  which  she  gave  for  two  or  three 
weeks  after  calving,  was  privately  made  known  to  the  committee,  and  immediately  put  down 
in  writing.  Mr.  Guenon  was  then  called  upon  to  examine  the  revealing  signs,  and  without 
being  allowed  to  touch  the  cow,  gave  his  estimate,  which  was  likewise  set  down.  The  amount 
of  milk  furnished  by  the  cows  submitted  for  examination,  varied  from  fourteen  to  twenty-four 
pints. 

In  eleven  of  the  cases,  the  estimate  of  Guenon  proved  to  be  correct,  and  there  was  some 

uncertainty  about  another  cow  recently  purchased,  that  had  been  sick  since  she  was  bought. 

i 
*  So  called  from  Cotentin,  a  district  of  country  from  lower  Normandy.  j 


REPORT. 


Finally,  upon  the  Anglo-Flemish  cow  there  appeared  a  notable  difference  between  the  rather 
precipitate  estimate  of  Mr.  Guenon,  who  calculated  her  yield  at  fifteen  pints,  and  her  known 
yield,  which  was  twenty-two  pints;  but  this  mistake  had  been  corrected  beforehand,  by  one 
of  our  most  intelligent  colleagues  —  M.  Collot  —  who  has  been  applying  Mr.  Guenon's  theory 
for  several  years  past,  and  who  had  at  first  sight  estimated  the  yield  of  the  Anglo-Flemish 
cow  at  twenty  pints,  a  near  approximation  to  the  truth.  So  that  we  may  say  in  this  case, 
that  Mr.  Guenon,  and  not  his  method,  was  at  fault. 

On  most  of  the  animals  inspected,  Mr.  Guenon  pointed  out  to  the  audience  the  revealing 
.signs  upon  which  his  system  is  founded,  and  referring  to  the  piinted  treatise  before  us,  showed 
the  relation  of  the  principle  to  the  results.  He  took  care  only  (in  view  of  the  excess  of  feed 
given  to  cows  in  the  Paris  dairy)  to  add  a  certain  amount  to  the  normal  valuation  given  in  his 
book ;  for  the  treatise  of  Mr.  Guenon  supposes  the  cows  placed  in  ordinary  circumstances  on 
proper  pasture. 

As  to  the  length  of  time  that  cows  continue  to  give  milk  after  going  to  the  bull,  M.  Gue 
non's  replies  were,  with  a  single  exception,  in  conformity  with  the  facts  and  his  estimates  of 
the  butyraceous  qualities  of  the  milk  were  equally  correct. 

The  results  were  altogether  conclusive :  they  confirmed  those  already  obtained  in  the 
presence  of  several  agricultural  societies,  and  particularly  that  were  published  after  248  trials, 
twenty  months  ago,  by  the  Central  Agricultural  Society  of  the  Lower  Seine,  whose  president 
—  M.  Demoy  —  has  a  seat  in  this  congress,  and  made  one  of  your  committee. 

Several  of  your  colleagues,  and  the  reporter  among  them,  has  studied  with  more  or  less 
care  the  printed  treatise,  and  acknowledged  its  general  correctness;  and  one  of  them  —  M. 
Deflez  (of  Nerac) — who,  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  and  with  the  guidance  of  the 
author  himself,  had  been  enabled  to  study  the  theory  practically,  with  stables  and  cattle  fairs 
of  the  south,  gave  his  estimate  of  the  cows  presented  for  trial,  and  these  estimates,  invariably 
in  accordance  with  those  of  Mr.  Guenon,  proved  the  almost  mathematical  exactness  of  the 
principles  upon  which  this  singular  and  valuable  system  is  based. 

It  is  known  that  it  is  founded  on  the  arrangement  or  disposition  of  the  hair,  in  a  space  com 
mencing  at  the  upper  extremity  of  the  vulva,  and  descending  to  the  roots  of  the  teats,  wind 
ing  as  it  descends,  covering  the  inner  and  hind  parts  of  the  thighs.  It  is  from  the  arrangement 
of  the  hair  in  this  space  that  the  deductions  are  drawn  as  to  the  quantity,  duration,  and 
quality  of  the  milk. 

What  are  the  mysterious  relations  existing  between  these  external  characters  and  the  milk- 
)  producing  organs?  The  author  endeavors  to  explain,  but  his  explanations  only  serve  to  jus 
tify  the  appeals  that  you  have  made  on  this  body  to  the  investigations  of  science. 

The  result  would  seem  to  be,  from  what  precedes,  that  the  application  of  Guenon's  sys 
tem  can  be  made  everywhere  with  the  greatest  facility,  after  reading  his  book ;  but  it  is  due 
to  truth  to  say  that  this  is  not  the  fact ;  that  considerable  difficulties  are  in  the  way  of  those 
who  wish  to  turn  it  to  account,  and  that  some  sagacity  and  perseverance  are  necessary  to 
master  it  completely. 

An  honorable  member  who  has  your  entire  confidence,  assures  us  that  in  his  department 
where  the  system  is  generally  applied,  the  number  of  bad  milkers  is  diminishing  in  a  striking 
manner,  and  that  at  the  expense  of  surrounding  departments,  where  their  owners  are  compelled 
to  seek  less  enlightened  purchasers;  and  our  president  himself — the  duke  of  Decazes —  has 
stated  that  Guenon's  method  was  being  adopted  with  signal  benefit  in  the  southwest. 

Admitted  by  our  most  learned  veterinaries  of  the  Royal  College  of  Alfort  and  elsewhere, 
encouraged  by  the  government,  confirmed  by  a  thousand  proofs,  and  sanctioned  by  your  ap 
proval,  the  discovery  of  Mr.  Guenon  may  now  be  considered  as  having  reached  the  dignity  of 
a  science.  It  applies  alike  to  males  and  females  —  to  calves  and  full-grown  animals ;  and  ) 


6  REPORT. 


from  this  last  fact  we  make  this  fruitful  deduction :  Hereafter  the  farmer  need  rear  none  but 
such  calves  as  will  make  good  milkers,  handing  over  to  the  butcher  those  that  will  not. 

Thus  in  a  short  time  the  daily  production  of  milk  in  France  may  be  increased  by  several 
millions  of  pints  daily.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  abundance  and  quality  of  milk  in  the  dams 
must  contribute  largely  to  the  improvement  of  the  progeny. 

Mr.  Guenon  should  receive  a  national  remuneration,  and  be  engaged  to  deliver  lectures  in 
the  different  Veterinary,  Agricultural,  and  Normal  schools  of  the  kingdom,  and  in  the  pres 
ence  of  such  societies  as  may  call  for  him.  These  would  be  the  speediest  and  best  means  of 
spreading  the  knowledge  of  this  discovery,  and  it  will  no  doubt  be  admitted  that  we  can  not 
be  in  too  great  haste  to  repair  the  time  lost  in  ridicule,  doubt,  or  indifference — the  inevitable 
preface  to  all  undertakings  beneficial  to  humanity. 

E.  BAHBIEH, 
Chairman  of  the  Committee. 

J^"  This  edition   has   also  been   improved  by  the   addition  of   an 
interesting  essay  on  Spaying  Milch  Cows,  with  the  mode  of  operation. 


PREFACE 
BY  THE  AMERICAN  EDITOR. 


ALTHOUGH  that  portion  of  the  matter,  here  offered  to  American  farmers,  which  was  translated 
for  and  originally  published  in  the  FARMERS'  LIBRARY,  might  well  he  considered  as  worth  the 
price  of  this  volume,  the  Publishers  have  desired  to  render  the  work  more  acceptable  and  useful, 
by  the  addition  of  brief  Introductory  Sketches,  descriptive  of  various  Races  of  Cattle,  as  well  as 
of  Dairy  Management,  and  of  some  of  the  Diseases  to  which  Cows  and  Calves  are  particularly 
liable. 

Most  of  these  additions  have  been  derived  from  CHAMBERS'S  INFORMATION  FOR  THE  PEOPLE  ; 
selected  for  the  reason  that,  while  they  are  deemed  by  the  American  Editor  to  be,  generally,  judi 
cious  and  profound,  the  style  is  so  plain  and  practical  that  "  he  who  runs  may  read  "  and  under- 
stand  them.  Remarks  have  been  added  by  the  Editor  of  the  FARMERS'  LIBRARY,  where  it  was 
supposed  they  might  be  needed  to  adapt  the  work  more  perfectly  to  the  use  of  American 
readers. 

It  has  been  truly  observed  that  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  changes  and  meliorations  effected 
in  cattle  by  the  potent  influence  of  domestication,  the  most  marked  improvement  has  been  in  the 
capacity  of  the  Cow  for  giving  milk.  How  much  may  not  that  capacity  be  enhanced  now,  by 
close  attention  to  the  milk-bearing  signs  or  "  escutcheons"  so  minutely  described  by  M.  GUENON  ? 

By  selecting  for  breeding  stock,  from  generation  to  generation,  such  only  as  display  these  infal 
lible  indications,  and  condemning  to  the  knife  all  that  are  devoid  of  them — supposing  the  system 
to  be  unerring  as  it  has  been  pronounced  by  successive  Committees  appointed  to  investigate  it — 
what  is  to  prevent  the  establishment  of  a  race  as  uniform  and  remarkable  for  excellence  at  the 
pail  as  the  Devon  Ox  is  for  the  yoke,  or  the  courser  of  high-bred  eastern  extraction  for  the  turf? 
and  that,  too,  without  recurrence  to  importation — seeing  that,  among  our  "  country  cows,"  individ 
uals  have  been  found  equal,  in  yield  of  milk  and  butter,  to  any  to  be  traced  in  the  Herd-Book  ? — 
Instance  the  Cream-pot  Breed,  built  up  by  Col.  JACQUES,  of  Charlestown,  Mass,  whose  calves  are  i 
bespoken  at  $100;  the  celebrated  middle-sized  Oak's  Cow,  of  Danvers,  that  gave,  on  evidence  sat 
isfactory  to  the  Mass.  Ag.  Society,  484  pounds  of  butter  from  the  5th  of  April  to  the  25th  of  Sep 
tember  ,  and,  more  recently,  the  wonderful  Prize  Cow,  KAATSKILL,  property  of  Mr.  DONALSON, 
of  Blhhewood,  New- York,  which  received  the  prize  of  the  New- York  State  Agricultural  Society, 
at  Poughkeepsie,  in  1844,  on  satisfactory  evidence  that  she  "  yielded,  when  kept  on  grass  only, 
38  £  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  and  that,  from  the  milk  given  by  her  in  two  days,  6J  pounds  of  butter 
were  made — being  at  the  rate  of  S2£  pounds  per  week." 

When  such  cases  turn  up  by  chance,  why,  we  repeat,  may  not  a  Breed  of  deep  milkers  be  es 
tablished  and  relied  upon  as  confidently  as  it  is  known  that  "  like  produces  like"  1  After  all, 


PREFACE  BY  THE  EDITOR. 


now  that  this  discovery  has  been  made,  and  proclaimed,  on  the  ground  of  repeated  trials  and  testi 
mony,  to  all  appearance  conclusive,  what  is  there  in  the  theory  that  lactiferous  secretions  should 
produce  and  show  themselves  in  external  marks  and  cutaneous  exudations,  any  more  wonderful 
or  out  of  the  way,  than  that  other  secretions  and  faculties  are  known  to  produce  not  only  marked 
differences  in  form  and  color,  but  even  perceptible,  and,  for  the  most  part,  offensive  effluvia  1 

Observe  the  effect,  in  these  respects,  not  only  in  the  external  differences  of  color  and  shape, 
which  mark  the  different  sexes,  but  the  no  less  striking  effects  produced  by  early  emasculation  of 
the  horse,  the  bull,  the  hog,  and  the  goat !  Hence,  it  is  only  "  if  I  were  hungry,"  says  the  Psalm 
ist,  "I  will  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  and  drink  the  blood  of  goats." 

The  famous  Tuscany  Ox,  so  celebrated  for  strength,  activity,  and  endurance,  and  which  Com 
modore  JONES,  in  one  of  his  letters  addressed  from  the  Mediterranean  to  Mr.  SKINNER,  says  will 
travel  22  miles  a  day,  with  heavy  loads  of  ship  timber,  is,  all  over,  of  uniform  light  grey  color ;  but 
leave  him  unabridged  of  his  full  sexual  proportions,  and  the  effect  is  sure  to  be  exhibited  in  the 
black  color  and  great  enlargement  of  the  neck,  and  curly  forehead.  Is  it,  then,  we  repeat,  extra 
ordinary  or  incredible  that  the  milky  secretions  of  the  Cow  should  produce,  in  the  region  where 
(  that  process  is  carried  on,  and  where  her  characteristic  excellence  lies,  effects  not  more  visible  or 
striking  than  are  produced  on  the  size,  color  and  growth  of  the  hair,  on  the  shoulders,  neck  and 
head  of  the  bull  ?  Are  the  external  signs — the  difference  in  the  growth  and  curl  of  the  hair,  con 
stituting  the  "  escutcheons,"  and  the  scurf  or  dandruf  thrown  out  on  the  skin,  as  described  in  this 
book — any  more  remarkable  or  strange  in  tne  one  case  than  the  other  ?  But — "  all  things  are 
strange" — until  they  are  found  out  / 


REMARKS 

AND 

OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  COW 


AND 


THE    DAIRY : 

INTRODUCTORY  TO  GUENON'S  TREATISE 

ON    MILCH    COWS. 


THE  COW  AND  THE  DAIRY. 

NEXT  to  the  horse,  the  CO\V"  is  justly  valued  as  the  most  useful  animal  which 
man  has  been  able  to  domesticate  and  retain  permanently  in  his  service.  The 
Ox  tribe,  of  which  it  is  the  female,  belongs  to  the  order  Ruminantia,  in  the  class 
Mammalia  ;  these  terms  implying  that  the  animals  runimate  or  chew  their  food 
a  second  time,  and  have  mammae  or  teats  with  which  they  suckle  their  young. — 
In  the  Ox  tribe  there  are  different  genera  and  species,  all  more  or  less  differing 
from  each  other. 

The  Wild  Breed,  from  being  untamable,  can  only  be  kept  within  walls  or  good 
fences ;  consequently,  very  few  of  them  are  now  to  be  met  with,  except  in  the 
parks  of  some  English  gentlemen,  who  keep  them  for  ornament  and  as  a  curiosity. 
Their  color  is  invariably  of  a  creamy  white  ;  muzzle  black  ;  the  whole  of  the  in 
side  of  the  ear,  and  about  one-third  of  the  outside  from  the  tip  downward,  red ; 
horn  white,  with  black  tips  very  fine,  and  bent  upward  ;  some  of  the  Bulls  have 
a  thin  upright  mane,  about  four  or  five  inches  long.  The  weight  of  the  Oxen  is 
from  450  to  550  Ibs.  and  the  Cows  from  280  to  450  Ibs.  The  beef  is  finely  mar 
bled  and  of  excellent  flavor. 

Of  the  Domesticated  Ox,  the  varieties  from  the  effect  of  cultivation  are  now 
very  numerous.  The  Ox,  in  one  or  other  of  its  genera,  and  for  the  sake  of  its  la 
bor  as  a  beast  of  draught,  its  flesh,  or  the  milk  of  its  female,  has  been  domesti 
cated  and  carefully  reared  from  the  earliest  times — in  some  countries  having  been 
raised  to  the  rank  of  a  divinity,  or,  at  least,  held  as  an  object  of  extreme  venera 
tion. 

The  domesticated  species  of  Oxen  is,  in  all  its  varieties,  materially  altered 
from  its  wild  parentage.  Influenced  by  climate,  peculiar  feeding,  and  training  in 
a  state  of  subjection,  its  bony  structure  is  diminished  in  bulk  and  power,  its  fero 
city  tamed,  and  its  tractability  greatly  improved.  Our  observations  will  refer 
chiefly  to  the  Cow,  on  which  very  great  changes  have  been  effected  by  domesti 
cation  :  the  most  remarkable  of  these  alterations  has  been  in  the  capacity  for  giv 
ing  milk.  In  a  wild  state,  the  udder  is  small,  and  shrinks  into  an  insignificant  com 
pass  when  the  duty  of  suckling  is  over  ;  but  when  domesticated  for  the  sake  of 
its  milk,  and  that  liquid  is  drawn  copiously  from  it  by  artificial  means,  the  lacte 
al  or  milk-secreting  vessels  enlarge,  and  the  udder  expands,  so  as  to  become  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  animal.  In  this  manner,  by  constant  exercise,  the  econ- 


10  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS : 

omy  of  the  cultivated  species  of  Cows  has  been  permanently  altered,  and  render 
ed  suitable  to  the  demands  which  are  constantly  made  on  it.  Yet  it  is  important 
to  remark  that  those  milk-yielding  powers  are  not  equal  in  the  different  varieties 
or  breeds  of  Cows.  Some  breeds,  from  the  influence  of  circumstances,  give  a 
large  quantity  of  milk,  but  of  a  thin  or  poor  quality,  while  others  yield  less  milk, 
but  of  a  good  or  rich  quality.  Whether,  then,  the  cow-keeper  Wish  quantity  or 
quality,  is  the  question  for  him  to  solve  in  making  a  selection  of  stock.  In  gen 
eral,  near  large  towns,  where  the  demand  for  milk  is  considerable,  the  object  of 
dairymen  is  to  keep  Cows  which  will  give  a  large  quantity  of  milk,  no  matter  of 
what  sort.  Private  families  in  the  country  are  usually  more  regardful  of  the 
quality  of  the  article  ;  they  wish  a  little  milk  which  is  good,  some  fine  cream, 
and  perhaps,  also,  some  sweet  butter  and  cheese ;  and  on  that  account  are  more 
careful  in  the  choice  of  their  Cows.  For  those  who  go  for  mere  quantity,  and 
yet  have  some  honest  scruples  left  about  resorting  to  the  pump,  the  old  fashioned, 
large  framed,  big  boned  Holderness  would  do  best ;  while  for  cream  only,  for 
family  use,  no  breed  can  compare,  in  color  and  richness  of  milk,  with  the  ewe- 
necked,  deer-looking,  ragged-boned  Alderney.  This  breed  may  be  seen  at  Ros- 
well  House,  residence  of  Mr.  Colt,  Paterson,  New-Jersey.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  breeds  which  may  aid  the  selection  of  Cows  in  these  different  respects  : 

BREEDS  OF  CATTLE. 

The  breeds  of  cattle  vary  in  different  districts,  from  the  small  hardy  varieties 
of  the  north  Highlands,  to  the  bulky  and  handsome  breeds  of  the  southern  parts 
of  England.  It  has  been  customary  to  classify  the  whole  according  to  the  com 
parative  length  of  the  horns — as  the  Long-Horned,  Short-Horned,  Middle-Horned, 
Crumpled-Horned,  and  Hornless  or  Polled  breeds.  Besides  these,  there  are  many 
intermixed  breeds.  The  Middle-Horned  Cows,  which  are  found  in  the  north  of 
Devon,  the  east  of  Sussex,  Herefordshire,  and  Gloucestershire,  in  England,  are 
among  the  most  valuable  and  beautiful  varieties  of  the  animal. 

Whatever  be  the  breed,  there  are  certain  conformations  which  are  indispensa 
ble  to  the  thriving,  valuable  Ox  or  Cow.  If  there  is  one  part  of  the  frame,  the 
form  of  which,  more  than  of  any  other,  renders  the  animal  valuable,  it  is  the 
chest.  There  must  be  room  enough  for  the  heart  to  beat  and  the  lungs  to  play, 
or  sufficient  blood  for  the  purposes  of  nutriment  and  strength  will  not  be  circu 
lated  ;  nor  will  it  thoroughly  undergo  that  vital  change  which  is  essential  to  the 
proper  discharge  of  every  function.  We  look,  therefore,  first  of  all,  to  the  wide 
and  deep  girth  about  the  heart  and  lungs.  We  must  have  both  :  the  proportion 
in  which  the  one  or  the  other  may  preponderate  will  depend  on  the  service  we 
require  from  the  animal  ;  we  can  excuse  a  slight  degree  of  flatness  of  the  sides, 
for  he  will  be  lighter  in  the  forehand,  and  more  active ;  but  the  grazier  must 
have  width  as  well  as  depth.  And  not  only  about  the  heart  and  lungs,  but  over 
the  whole  of  the  ribs,  must  we  have  both  length  and  roundness  ;  the  hooped  as 
well  as  the  deep  barrel  is  essential ;  there  must  be  room  for  the  capacious 
paunch — room  for  the  materials  from  which  the  blood  is  to  be  provided.  The 
beast  should  also  be  ribbed  home  ;  there  should  be  little  space  between  the  ribs 
and  the  hips.  This  seems  to  be  indispensable  in  the  Ox,  as  it  regards  a  good 
healthy  constitution  and  a  propensity  to  fatten  ;  but  a  largeness  and  drooping  of 
the  belly,  notwithstanding  that  the  symmetry  of  the  animal  is  not  improved,  are 
considered  advantageous  in  the  Cow,  because  room  is  thus  left  for  the  udder  ;  and 
if  these  qualities  are  accompanied  by  swelling  milk  veins,  her  value  in  the  dairy 
is  generally  increased.  This  roundness  and  depth  of  the  barrel,  however,  are 
most  advantageous  in  proportion  as  found  behind  the  point  of  the  elbow,  more 
than  between  the  shoulders  and  legs  ;  or  low  down  between  the  legs,  rather  than 
upward  toward  the  withers  ;  for  the  heaviness  before,  and  the  comparative  bulk 
of  the  coarser  parts  of  the  animal,  are  thus  diminished,  which  'is  always  a  very 
great  consideration.  The  loins  should  be  wide.  Of  this  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
for  they  are  the  prime  parts  ;  they  should  seem  to  extend  far  along  the  back  ;  and 
although  the  belly  should  not  hang  down,  the  flanks  should  be  round  and  deep. 
Of  the  hips,  it  is  superfluous  to  say  that,  without  being  ragged,  they  should  be 
large  ;  lound  rather  than  wide,  and  presenting,  when  handled,  plenty  of  muscle 
and  fat.  The  thighs  should  be  full  and  long,  close  together  when  viewed  from 
behind,  and  the  farther  down  they  continue  close  the  better.  The  legs  may  oc- 


THE   COW  AND   THE   DAIRY.  11 

casionally  vary  in  length  according  to  the  destination  of  the  animal ;  but  short 
ness  is  a  good  general  rule,  for  there  is  an  almost  inseparable  connection  between 
length  of  leg  and  lightness  of  carcass,  and  shortness  of  leg  and  propensity  to  fat 
ten.  The  bones  of  the  legs  (and  they  are  taken  as  a  sample  of  the  bony  structmc 
of  the  frame  generally)  should  be  small,  but  not  too  small — small  enough  for  the 
well-known  accompaniment,  a  propensity  to  fatten — small  enough  to  please  the 
consumer ;  but  not  so  small  as  to  indicate  delicacy  of  constitution  and  liability  to 
disease.  Lastly,  the  hide — the  most  important  thing  of  all — should  be  thin,  but 
not  so  thin  as  to  indicate  that  the  animal  can  endure  no  hardship  ;  movable,  mel 
low,  but  not  too  loose,  and  particularly  well  covered  with  fine  and  soft  hair. 

Of  the  various  breeds  and  cross-breeds  of  Cows  now  in  use,  there  are  a  few 
which  enjoy  the  best  reputation.  We  may  name,  for  example,  the  Old  Yorkshire 
Stock,  a  cross  between  the  Teeswater  and  Holderness  breed  ;  the  Long-Horned 
or  Lancashire  breed  ;  the  Short-Horned  or  Dutch  breed  ;  the  Middle-Horned 
breeds  of  Devonshire,  Sussex,  and  Hereford  ;  the  Ayrshire  breed  ;  the  Alderney 
breed,  &c.  Some  of  these  merit  particular  attention.  We  should  first  point  to 
the 

DEVONSHIRE  Cow. — The  Devonshire  is  a  handsome  breed  of  cattle,  well  set  up 
on  their  legs,  straight  along  the  back,  small  muzzle,  generally  red  in  color,  and, 
both  as  Oxen  and  Cows,  they  feed'  well  at  an  early  age.  The  Cow  is  much 
smaller  than  the  Bull,  but  roomy  for  breeding,  and  is  distinguished  for  her  clear, 
round  eye,  and  general  loveliness  and  neatness  of  features.  Fed  on  the  fine  pas- 
lures  of  North  Devon,  the  Cow  yields  a  rich  quality  of  milk,  and  in  reasonable 


Devonshire  Cow. 

abundance.     The  North  Devon  breed  prevails  in  some  parts  of  Somersetshire, 
and  has  been  introduced  into  other  quarters  of  the  country,  but  is  not  considered  ( 
suitable  in  situations  greatly  differing  from  its  native  county  as  respects  climate 
and  herbage. 

Incomparably  the  best  herd  of  Devons  in  this,  if  not  in  any  country,  is  the 
large  one  of  GEORGE  PATTERSON,  Esq.  near  Sykesville,  Md.  Its  excellence  has 
been  established  and  maintained  by  frequent  importations  of  the  best  Bulls  to  be 
had  in  England,  without  limit  as"  to  cost,  and. by  invariably  good  keep:  The 
signs  of  genuineness  and  of  excellence  in  the  Devon  are  the  absence,  as  near  as 
possible,  of  white  in  any  part,  and  a  yellow,  not  dark  skin  showing  itself  around 
the  eye  and  muzzle.  The  winner  of  successive  prizes  for  best  cheeses  at  the 
American  Institute  lately  observed  that  he  considered  the  Devon  decidedly  the 
best  breed  of  cattle  for  the  general  purposes  of  New-England  ;  while  for  his  pur 
pose  exclusively,  milk  and  cheese,  he  preferred  a  large  infusion  of  Short-Horn  ] 
blood.  J 

HEREFORDSHIRE  Cow.— The  Hereford  breed  of  cattle  is  larger  than  that  of 
North  Devon.  It  is  broad  across  the  hind  quarters,  narrow  at  the  sirloin  ;  neck 
and  head  well  proportioned  ;  horns  of  a  medium  size,  turned  up  at  the  points  ; 
color  deep  red,  but  with  face  and  some  other  parts  generally  white  ;  and  counte 
nance  cheerful  and  sagacious.  This  Cow  is  reckoned  among  the  best  in  England 
as  respects  the  production  of  milk,  and,  when  too  old  for  that  purpose,  it  fattens  i 
to  a  greater  weight  than  the  North  Devons.  The  Herefords  have  maintained  a 
long  and  animated  contest  for  superiority  with  the  Short-Horns  in  England,  and 
/  the  Editor  thinks  (but  mind,  he  can't  be  made  to  enter  into  a  contest  about  it)  it  < 


12 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS: 


Hereford  Cow. 

J   is  rather  gaining  ground  on  its  great  rival.     Has  the  latter  any  links  yet  to  let 

1   out? 

The  GALLOWAY  breed  of  cattle  is  well  known  for  various  valuable  qualities, 
and  easily  distinguished  by  the  want  of  horns.  It  is  broad  across  the  back,  with 
a  very  slight  curve  between  the  head  and  quarters,  broad  at  the  loins,  the  whole 
body  having  a  fine  round  appearance.  The  head  is  of  a  moderate  size,  with  large 
rough  ears,  chest  deep,  legs  short,  and  clean  in  the  neck.  The  prevailing  color 
is  black,  those  of  this  color  being  thought  the  most  hardy,  although  this  varies. 
This  breed  is  highly  esteemed,  as  there  is  no  other  kind  which  arrives  at  maturi- 

j  ty  so  soon,  and  their  flesh  is  of  the  finest  quality.  The  milk  is  very  fine,  but  is 
not  obtained  in  very  large  quantities.  Great  numbers  of  this  breed  are  sent  an 
nually  to  Smithfield  market ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  they  are  generally  in  as 
good  condition  after  the  journey  as  before.  The  Suffolk  Dun,  also  a  hornless 
breed,  is  supposed  to  be  a  variety  of  the  Galloway,  from  their  general  resem 
blance. 

The  AYRSHIRE  breed,  which  is  considered  the  most  valuable  in  Scotland,  is  of 
the  small  sized  and  middle  horned  race ;  its  origin  is  unknown,  as  it  has  been 
long  settled  in  the  county  from  which  it  derives  its  name.  In  modern  times,  the 


Ayrshire  Bull. 

oreed  has  been  improved  by  judicious  selection,  coupling,  and  general  treatment. 
The  common  characteristics  of  this  excellent  variety  of  Cows  are  thus  described 
by  Mr.  Aiton  in  his  "  Survey  of  Ayrshire  :" — "  Head  small,  rather  long  and  nar 
row  at  the  muzzle  ;  eye  small,  smart,  and  lively  ;  horns  small,  crooked,  and  set 
at  considerable  distances  from  each  other  ;  neck  long,  rather  slender,  tapering 
toward  the  head,  with  no  loose  skin  below  ;  shoulders  thin  ;  fore  quarters  light ; 
hind  quarters  large  ;  back  straight,  broad  behind,  the  joints  rather  loose  and  open  ; 
carcass  deep  ;  legs  small,  short,  with  firm  joints  ;  udder  capacious,  stretching  for 
ward  ;  the  milk  veins  large  and  prominent ;  teats  short,  all  pointing  outward." 
The  Ayrshire  Cow  is  very  docile,  feeds  well,  is  easily  managed,  and,  as  a  dairy 
Cow,  is  equal  to  any  other.  It  is  inferior,  however,  for  feeding,  to  the  Devon, 
Sussex,  and  Hereford  breeds.  There  have  been  several  importations  of  Ayrshires 
— one  some  dozen  years  ago  by  A.  J.  DAVIE,  of  N.  C.  These  we  saw  in  Balti 
more,  as  we  have  several  other  specimens  there,  and  elsewhere.  These  were  se 
lected  by  Mr.  D.  in  Scotland,  and  from  their  appearance,  were,  as  we  have 
thought,"among  the  best  specimens  that  have  been  brought  to  this  country. — 
John  Ridgely,  Esq.  of  Hampton  got  this  lot,  and  may,  perhaps,  have  some  of  mea-  ; 

V^^^-^^^^^^-^-N^^V^-^N^-^-^V^^^^^V.  ~  ~  ^  ^-~  ^- • ~~r^~~~~r*-f+^r***^*~*****~****^>****>***+**^**'*'*'f**l**^imt 


descendants  now.  Dr.  Hoffman  more  recently  made  an  importation  of  choice  in 
dividuals  of  this  breed  to  Baltimore.  Mr.  Randall,  of  New-Bedford,  Mass.,  has, 
perhaps,  the  largest  herd  of  Ayrshires  in  this  country.  Several  were  imported 
into  Massachusetts  some  years  since,  and  our  impression  had  been  that  they  fail 
ed  to  establish  themselves  in  the  estimation  of  Yankee  Farmers,  yet  the  Massa 
chusetts  Agricultural  Society  lately  invested  a  large  portion  of  their  funds  in  an 
importation  of  Ayrshires  and  North  Devons,  of  which  an  account  mav  be  seen  in 
the  FARMERS' LIBRARY  AND  JOURNAL  OF  AGRICULTURE,  November  No.  page  257  of 
the  Journal.  The  specimens  we  have  seen  of  Ayrshires  appeared  to  be  on  the 
model,  and  with  a  good  deal  of  the  coat  of  the  Short-Horn  ;  the  hair  perhaps  short 
er,  and  in  that,  enabling  them  the  better  to  bear  wet  weather.  But  they  have  the 
neat  form  of  the  Shor^Horn  only  on  a  miniature  scale  when  compared  to  them. 
Mr.  STEVENSON,  our  late  Minister  to  London,  who  passed  all  his  leisure  time 
among  the  noblemen  and  gentlemen  Farmers  in  the  best  agricultural  districts  of 
England  and  Scotland,  has  some  superior  specimens  of  Ayrshires. 


Ayrshire  Cow. 

Many  of  the  Ayrshire  Dairy  Cows,  when  properly  fed,  will  yieJd  from  six  to 
eight  gallons  per  day  during  a  part  of  the  summer.  The  quantity  varies  much 
during  the  year,  from  one  and  a  half  to  six  gallons  or  more  ;  and  the  highest  av 
erage  of  the  milk  yielded  by  this  breed  is  one  thousand  gallons  per  annum.  It  is 
only  some  of  the  finest  Cows  that  will  yield  such  a  quantity  as  this,  and  from  five 
hundred  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  gallons  may  be  calculated  as  the  most  gene 
ral  yearly  produce.  Every  two  and  one-third  gallons  of  milk  will  afford  one  pound 
of  butter,  of  sixteen  ounces  to  the  pound,  or  eight  gallons  will  give  three  pounds. 
About  twenty-six  gallons  of  milk  will  give  a  stone  of  cheese,  fourteen  pounds  to 
the  stone,  and  a  good  milch  Cow  will  thus  yield  thirty-six  stones  annually,  which, 
at  10s.  per  stone,  is  £18  per  annum  for  this  article  alone. 

The  SHORT-HORNED  or  Dutch  breed  is  considered  of  great  value,  both  for  milk 
ing  and  feeding.  There  are  many  varieties  of  it,  known  by  the  names  of  the 
counties  where  they  have  been  raised.  The  best  of  these  varieties  are  large  in 
the  carcass,  well  proportioned,  broad  across  the  loins,  chine  full,  legs  short,  head 
small  but  handsome,  neck  deep,  but  in  keeping  with  the  size  of  the  body,  color 
generally  red  and  white  mixed,  or  what  is  called  flecked,  hide  thin.  The  flesh 
of  this  breed  is  thick,  close-grained,  retaining  the  juices  well ;  and  from  this  cir 
cumstance  is  in  request  for  victualing  ships  going  on  long  voyages. 

Regarding  the  milking  qualities  of  this  breed,  Mr.  Dickson,  an  eminent  cattle- 
dealer,  who  has  had  the  most  extensive  experience  throughout  the  whole  coun 
try,  says — "  It  has  been  frequently  asserted  that  the  Short-Horned  Cows  are  bad 
milkers  ;  indeed,  that  no  sort  of  cattle  are  so  deficient  in  milk.  But  this  deficien 
cy  of  milk  does  not  proceed  from  the  circumstance  of  the  Cows  being  of  the  Short- 
Hcrned  kind.  Had  the  flesh  been  neglected  as  much  as  the  milk  by  the  eminent 
breeders,  and  the  property  of  giving  milk  as  much  cherished  as  the  development 
of  flesh,  the  Short-Horned  Cows  would  have  been  deep  milkers.  Indeed,  it  is  not 
to  be  doubted  that,  where  the  general  secreting  powers  of  the  animal  system  have 
been  increased,  the  power  of  secreting  milk  will  be  increased  with  the  power  of 
secreting  fat  ;  all  that  seems  requisite  is  to  encourage  the  power  of  that  secretion 
which  is  most  wanted  for  the  time.  It  would  be  to  desire  an  impossibility  to  de 
sire  the  full  development  of  flesh,  fat,  and  milk,  at  the  same  time ;  but  there  is 
no  absurdity  in  desiring  a  large  secretion  of  flesh  and  fat  at  one  time,  and  a  large 


14  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS! 

secretion  of  milk  at  another,  from  the  same  Cow.  Accordingly,  this  is  the  very 
character  which  has  been  acquired  by  Short-Horned  Cows.  They  will  yield  from 
six  to  sixteen  quarts  a  day  throughout  the  season ;  and  they  are  such  constant 
milkers,  that  they  seldom  remain  dry  above  six  weeks  or  two  months  before  the 
the  time  of  calving.  1  know  a  Scotch  breeder  who  had  a  Short-Horned  Cow  which 
gave  fifteen  quarts  a  day  during  the  flush  of  the  grass  in  summer,  and  never  went 
dry  for  two  seasons.  A  cross  between  a  Galloway  Cow  and  a  Short-Horned  Bull 
in  Berwickshire  yielded  twenty  pints  [twenty  "pints"  here  probably  mean 
Scotch  pints,  equal  to  English  quarts]  a  day  during  the  best  of  the  season,  and  she 
had  to  be  milked  five  times  a  day  to  keep  her  easy."  We  have  thus  considered 
it  our  duty  to  give  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Dickson  regarding  the  value  of  the  Short- 
Horned  breed  of  Cows  as  a  dairy  stock,  seeing  that  the  demand  for  Short-Horned 
Bulls  has  of  late  years  been  great  in  many  of  the  counties  of  both  England  and 
Scotland.  It  seems,  however,  a  well-confirmed  opinion  that  the  breed  which  of 
all  others  appears  to  be  gaining  ground,  throughout  the  United  Kingdom,  for 
abundant  produce  on  ordinary  pasture,  is  the  Ayrshire  kyloe,  which  is  described 
as  without  a  parallel  under  a  similar  soil,  climate,  and  relative  circumstances, 
either  for  the  dairy,  or  feeding  for  the  shambles.  But  the  ever  variable  circum 
stances  in  climate,  soil,  shelter,  and  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  pasturage,  as 
well  as  the  winter  feeding  and  general  treatment,  will  always  have  an  effect  up 
on  the  stock. 

Mr.  GEORGE  LAW,  of  Baltimore,  has  an  imported  Irish  Short-Horn  Cow,  Sophy, 
sent  to  this  country  by  Mr.  MURDOCH,  (now  of  N.  C.  near  Asheville,  a  gentleman 
farmer  of  superior  judgment  and  various  intelligence,)  which  gave  last  summer, 
when  well  fed  and  in  full  milk,  38  quarts,  or  one  bushel  of  milk,  a  day.  Her  "  es 
cutcheons"  or  signs  correspond  with  those  laid  down  in  the  work  of  M.  GUENON, 
here  in  hand  transferred  from  the  FARMERS'  LIBRARY. 

In  proof  of  our  suggestion,  that  with  the  aid  and  close  observance  of  the  direc 
tions  given  in  that  work,  a  milk-ia.ce  of  the  greatest  excellence  may  be  establish 
ed  on  the  basis  of  our  country  stock,  we  need  only  mention  first  the  success  of 
Col.  JACQUES  in  the  formation  of  his  "  cream-pot w  breed.  His  calves  of  that 
blood  are  bespoken  at  $100 — also  the  case  of  the  Cow  called  "  the  Oaks  Cow," 
which  was  of  what  is  called  the  Country  breed,  and  rather  under  size.  It  is  not 
to  be  doubted,  that  if  this  great  discovery  in  kine-ology  had  been  made,  she  would 
have  been  found  to  display  the  "  escutcheons,"  in  full  relief,  and  lastly  to  sho'w, 
that  for  milking  purposes,  we  need  not  go  abroad,  unless,  as  we  go  for  foreign 
voters,  for  increase  of  numbers.  We  may  refer  to  Mr.  DONALDSON'S  famous  Cow, 
Kaatskill,  of  which  a  fine  portrait  is  given  in  the  Cultivator,  with  the  following 
account: — "  «  Kaatskill'  received  the  first  prize  of  the  New- York  State  Agricul 
tural  Society  as  the  best  Dairy  Cow  exhibited  at  Poughkeepsie,  in  1844.  We 
are  unable  to  refer  to  the  original  statement  furnished  the  Society  by  Mr.  DON 
ALDSON  in  regard  to  the  produce  of  this  Cow,  but  can  say  that  satisfactory  evi 
dence  was  given  that  she  had  yielded,  when  kept  on  grass  only,  thirty-eight  and 
a  half  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  and  that  from  the  milk  given  by  her  in  two  days, 
six  and  a  half  pounds  of  butter  were  made,  being  at  the  rate  of  twenty-two  and 
three-fourths  pounds  per  week.  Her  appearance  fully  corresponds  with  the  ac 
count  of  her  produce.  It  is  proper  to  state,  that  while  her  milk  was  measured 
for  the  purpose  of  a^curate4y  ascertaining  the  quantity,  she  was  milked  four  times 
every  twenty-four  hours."  Kaatskill  is  represented  as  a  "  native,"  which  we  sup 
pose  means  what  is  commonly  called  "country  breed." 

The  IMPROVED  KERRY  is  an  Irish  breed,  of  rather  diminutive  size,  hardy,  and 
which  can  subsist  on  scanty  pasture.  This  renders  them  exceedingly  well  adapt 
ed  for  hilly  pastures,  and  for  cottagers  who  may  not  have  the  best  food  to  offer 
their  stock".  Their  milk  and  butter  are  rich  in  quality,  and  for  their  size  they  are 
good  milkers.  They  are  quiet  enough  when  let  alone  ;  bu-t,  if  the  least  irritated, 
no  fence  can  contain  them.  The  Irish  Cows  have  improved  very  much  of  late 
years,  in  consequence  of  crossing;  and  they  are  now,  in  many  respects,  thought 
equal  to  the  breeds  of  either  England  or  Scotland. 

The  LONG- HORNED  or  Lancashire  is  distinguished  by  the  length  of  its  horns, 
the  thickness  of  its  hide,  and  the  large  size  of  its  hoofs.  It  is  far  from  being  a 
handsome  animal,  nor  is  it  held  in  very  general  estimation  either  for  milking  or 
i  ceding. 


THE   COW  AND  THE   DAIRY. 


15 


The  nose  or  muzzle. — In  the  Devon,  Hereford,  and  Sussex,  the  muzzle  is  preferred  when  of 
a  clear  golden  color.  When  brown  or  dark,  it  is  an  indication  that  this  breed  has  been 
crossed  with  some  of  the  Welsh  or  other  breeds. 

The  forehead  should  neither  be  narrow  nor  very  broad — the  eye  prominent.  The  nostril  be 
tween  the  eye  and  muzzle  should  be  thin,  which  is  particularly  the  case  in  the  best  breeds 
of  the  Devon  cattle. 

The  harm  should  be  thin,  projecting- horizontally  from  the  head,  and  turning  up  at  the  tips,  as 
in  the  breeds  of  the  Devon,  Sussex,  and  Hereford. 

The  neck  should  be  neither  long  nor  short,  full  at  the  sides  and  not  too  deep  in  the  throat,  com- 
^ing  out  from  the  shoulders  nearly  level  with  the  chine,  with  a  thin  dewlap. 

The  top  of  the  plate  bones  should  not  be  too  wide,  but  rising  upon  a  level  with  the  chine,  and 
well  thrown  back,  so  that  there  may  be  no  hollowness  behind  ;  this  point  gives  facility  to 
the  walk.  From  the  point  of  the  shoulder  to  the  top  of  the  plate  bones  should  be  rather' full 
outside,  to  admit  the  ribs  to  bow. 

The  shoulder  point  should  lay  flat  with  the  ribs  without  any  projection.  When  the  shoulder 
point  projects  outward,  the  beast  seldom  fattens  well  about  the  shoulder  vein. 

The  breast  should  be  wide  and  open,  projecting  forward. 

The  chine  should  lie  straight,  and  well  covered  with  flesh. 


HIGHLAND  BREEDS. — The  cattle  of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  are  of  small  bulk 
and  very  hardy.  The  most  esteemed  are  those  belonging  to  the  Western  High 
lands  and  Isles,  called  the  Argyleshire  breed,  and  frequently  kyloes.  It  is  thought 
that  this  breed  might  be  much  improved  by  judicious  crossing,  as  was  seen  in  the 
case  of  the  Ayrshire  kyloe,  formerly  mentioned.  This  breed  is  rather  handsome 
in  appearance ;  the  horns  are  long  and  upright,  head  large,  neck  short  and  deep, 
legs  of  a  good  length,  and  the  beef  is  in  general  estimation.  The  cattle  of  the 
Highlands  and  Isles  are  bred  on  an  extensive  scale  of  farming  for  the  purpose  of 
sending  to  the  southern  markets.  Small  in  size  at  first,  they  increase  in  bulk  as 
they  are  transferred  to  a  more  genial  climate  and  richer  pasturage  as  they  pro 
ceed  southward,  till,  by  annual  stages,  they  reach  the  neighborhood  of  London, 
when  they  are  large  and  heavy.  The  breeds  may,  therefore,  be  considered  more  i 
an  object  of  culture  for  the  shambles  than  the  dairy. 

The  ALDERNEY  breed  of  cattle  is  awkwardly  shaped,  with  short,  bent  horns,  | 
and  light  red,  dun,  or  fawn-colored  skins.     The  appetite  of  the  Cow  is  voracious, 
and  it  yields  little  milk,  but  that  is  of  an  exceedingly  rich  quality,  and  the  ani 
mal  is  on  that  account  preferred  by  families  who  do  not  regard  the  expense  of 
keep. 

We  once  knew  an  honest  dairy-woman  maintain  that  the  milk  of  one  Alder-  \ 
ney  Cow  would  color  the  butter  from  the  milk  of  seven  common  Cows,  mixed 
with  hers.  The  Alderney  Bull  is  vicious  and  intractable,  but  nothing  can  equal 
the  beautiful  color  and  richness  of  the  milk  and  cream  from  the  Alderney  Cow. 
Noblemen  in  England,  some  of  them  rich  enough  to  give  a  guinea  for  a  tea-spoon 
ful  of  cream  for  their  coffee,  keep  an  Alderney  in  their  magnificent  parks,  espe 
cially  for  the  means  of  improving  that  delicious  beverage — especially  when  made 
of  old  Mocha — such  as  was  offered,  and  by  her  own  fair  hands  administered  to 
her  friends  by  a  lady  of  this  City  on  New-Year's  day,  in  lieu  of  hebetating  egg- 
nogy  and  other  inebriating  liquors  or  liqueurs. 

In  adverting  briefly    to  the  properties  of  cattle,  it  will  be  advisable  to  de 
scribe  the  points  by  which  they  are  characterized : 


16  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS! 

9.  The  loin  should  be  flat  and  wide — the  side  lying  parallel,  and  nearly  as  high  as  the  chine — 
almost  as  wide  at  the  fore  as  at  the  hinder  part ;  being  an  indication  of  thr,  ;ibs  bowing  out, 
which  is  desirable. 

10.  The  hip  or  huckle  bones  should  be  wide  apart,  coming  upon  a  level  with  the  chine,  to  the 

first  touch  or  setting  on  of  the  tail. 

11.  The  first  touch  or  tip  of  the  rump  should  be  tolerably  wide,  so  that  the  tail  drop  in  a  level 

between  the  two  points.     The  tail  should  come  cut  broad,  as  an  indication  of  a  flat  chine. 

12.  The  thigh  should  not  be  too  full  outside  nor  behind,  which  is  always  an  indication  of  bully 

flesh,  but  the  inside  or  twist  should  be  fall. 

13    The  hock  or  hough  should  be  flat  and  rather  thin,  not  coarse  and  gummy,  which  indicates 
coarseness  in  the  animal. 

14.  The  hind  leg  should  be  flat  and  thin.     The  le^s  of  a  medium  length,  and  the  hock  or  hough 

rather  turning  out. 

15.  The  feet  or  claws  not  too  broad. 

16.  The  flank  should  be  full  and  heavy  when  the  animal  is  fat,  indicative  of  being  fat  inside. 

17.  The  belly  should  not  drop  below  the  breast,  but  in  a  horizontal  line  with  it. 

18.  The  brisket. 

19.  The  shoulder  should  be  rather  flat,  not  projecting. 

20.  The  foreleg  should  be  also  flat  and  upright,  but  not  fleshy. 

21.  The  round  or  pot-bone  should  not  project,  but  lie  flat  with  the  outside  of  the  thigh. 

22.  The  under  jaw. — The  jaws  should  be  rather  wide,  particularly  for  beasts  intended  for  work 

ing,  as  it  affords  them  greater  liberty  to  breathe. 

23.  The  chap  should  be  fine,  indicating  a  disposition  to  feed. 

24.  The  ribs  should  spring  nearly  horizontally  from  the  chine,  the  sides  round  forming  a  circle  ; 

in  which  case  the  animal  will  never  drop  in  the  belly,  and  will  lay  its  meat  on  the  prime 
parts.  The  great  objection  to  the  Sussex  breed  of  cattle  is  that  they  are  too  sharp  in  the 
chine,  and  the  ribs  too  flat.  When  this  is  the  case,  the  animal  will  always  drop  in  the 
belly,  and  seldom  lay  its  meat  on  the  prime  joints. 

Remarks  on  Breeds. 

W  e  have  thus  briefly  treated  of  some  of  the  many  breeds  of  cattle  considered  val 
uable  as  dairy  stock  in  Britain  ;  but  we  pretend  not  to  give  any  decided  opinion  as 
to  which  is  best.  The  merits  of  each  kind  have  been  vigorously  contested  by  tneir 
respective  advocates,  and  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  decide  between"  them. 
Upon  the  form  and  qualifications  of  a  perfect  Cow,  it  ought  to  be  observed,  that 
whatever  breed  is  selected,  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  the  form  of  one 
meant  for  fattening  and  that  intended  for  the  dairy.  The  first  should  resemble 
the  Ox  as  nearly  as  possible  ;  while  the  latter  should  be  long  and  thin  on  the 
head,  with  a  brisk,  quiet  eye,  lank  in  the  neck,  narrow  across  the  shoulders,  but 
broad  at  the  haunches  ;  and  there  should  be  no  tendency  to  become  fat.  Tne  ud 
der  should  be  large  and  full  looking,  but  not  protruding'too  far  behind  ;  the  teats 
all  pointing  out  and  downward,  equal  in  size  and  rather  long  and  tapering  ;  all 
corresponding  with  the  signs  or  escutcheons  as  given  in  this  book.  A  Cow  with 
a  high  back-bone,  large  head,  small  udder,  and  showing  an  inclination  to  become 
fat,  will  be  found  to  be  a  bad  milker.  This  description  applies  to  all  breeds  ;  and 
of  course  the  difference  between  a  Cow  for  fattening  and  one  for  yielding  milk 
will  be  comparative. 

Mr.  Aiton  mentions  the  following  as  the  most  important  qualities  of  the  Dairy 
Cow  ; — "  Tameness  and  docility  of  temper  greatly  enhance  its  value.  One  that 
is  quiet  and  contented  feeds  at  ease,  does  not  break  over  fences,  or  hurt  herself 
or  other  cattle,  will  always  yield  more  milk  than  than  those  who  are  of  a  turoit- 
lent  disposition.  To  render  them  docile,  they  ought  to  be  gently  treated,  fre 
quently  handled  when  young,  and  never  struck  or  frightened.  Some  degree  of 
hardiness,  however,  a  sound  constitution,  and  a  moderate  degree  of  life  and  spir 
its,  awe  qualities  to  be  wished  for  in  a  milch  Cow,  and  what  those  of  Ayrshire 
generally  possess.  Some  have  thought  that  a  Cow  living  on  a  small  quantity  of 
food  was  a  valuable  quality,  but  that  will  depend  upon  the  quantity  of  milk  giv 
en  by  the  Cow  that  eats  little  compared  with  those  that  eat  much.  If  the  Cow 
that  "eats  little  gives  as  much  milk  as  the  one  that  eats  more,  it  certainly  is  a  val 
uable  quality ;  but  of  this  I  entertain  doubts,  which  forty  vears'  experience  and 
observation  have  served  to  confirm.  Speculative  writers  airlrm  that  some  Cows 
will  fatten  as  well,  and  yield  as  much  milk,  when  fed  on  coarse  as  others  will  do 
on  rich  food.  Cows  that  have  been  reared  and  fed  on  coarse  pasture  will  yield 
some  rnilk  of  a  good  quality,  and  from  which  the  best  butter  may  be  extracted  ; 
while  a  Co\v  that  has  been  reared  and  fed  on  much  better  pasture,  would,  if  turn 
ed  on  that  which  is  bad,  give  scarcely  'any  milk.  With  persons  living  in  towns 
and  villages,  and  keeping  but  a  single  Cow,  with  opportunity  of  grazing  on  the 


THE   COW  AND    THE   DAIRY.  17 

commons,  and  depending  mainly  on  them  for  food,  a  good  rule  is  to  get  their  Cow, 
not  over  the  middle  size  ;  and  from  a  poorer  district  of  country.  If  she  comes 
t'rom  rich,  fertile  pastures,  she  will  fall  off  in  her  milk,  below  the  quantity  which 
he  was  assured  she  had  been  accustomed  to  give,  and  thus  disappoint  him.  If 
from  a  poorer  district,  with  the  addition  of  the  "  slop"  from  the  house  and  kitch 
en,  and  the  external  signs  here  laid  doivn,  she  will  be  sure  to  improve.  But  if  a 
Cow  tha*  has  been  accustomed  to  feed  on  bad  pasture,  be  put  on  that  which  is 
better,  she  will  greatly  increase  in  milk,  and  fatten  much  faster.  If  two  Cows 
of  the  same  age  and  condition,  and  which  have  been  reared  and  fed  on  food  of 
equal  quality,  are  put,  the  one  on  bad  food,  and  the  other  on  that  which  is  good, 
the  latter  will  yield  four  times  the  milk,  and  fatten  four  times  faster  than  the  for 
mer.  A  Cow  need  not  always  be  fed  on  green  clover,  cabbages,  and  cauliflower  ; 
but  she  will  neither  fatten  nor  yield  milk  if  she  gets  no  better  fare  than  rushes, 
bent,  and  sage  grass." 

A  writer  in  the  "  Farmer's  Magazine,"  a  few  years  ago,  presented  the  follow 
ing  doggrel  lines,  as  combining  what  are  popularly  considered  the  good  points  of 
a  Cow,  such  as  is  common  among  the  Short-Horned  breed  of  Yorkshire : — 

•'  She 's  long  in  her  face,  she 's  fine  in  her  horn. 
She  '11  quickly  get  fat  without  cake  or  corn  ; 
She  'a  clean  in  her  jaws,  and  full  in  her  chine, 
She 's  heavy  in  flank,  and  wide  in  her  loin. 

She  's  broad  in  her  ribs,  and  long  in  her  rump, 
A  straight  and  flat  back,  without  e  'er  a  hump  ; 
She 's  wide  in  her  hips,  and  calm  in  her  eyes, 
She 's  fine  in  her  shoulders,  and  thin  in  her  thighs. 

She  's  light  in  her  neck,  and  small  in  her  tail, 
She 's  wide  in  her  breast,  and  good  at  the  pail, 
She 's  fine  in  her  bone,  and  silky  of  skin — 
She's  a  grazier's  -without,  and  a  butcher's  within." 

To  ensure  the  perpetuation  of  valuable  qualities  in  Cows,  it  is  necessary  to 
breed  from  good  Bulls  of  a  similar  variety  to  the  Cows.  The  heifer  or  young 
Cow,  if  properly  pastured,  should  begin  to  breed  at  two  years,  or  not  beyond  two 
and  a  half  years  old.  The  Cow  is  at  her  prime  at  from  four  to  six  years,  and  de 
clines  into  old  age  at  ten  or  eleven  years,  when  it  is  customary  to  fatten  her  for 
market.  Dairymen,  in  selecting  Cows,  prefer  those  which  have  had  their  third 
or  fourth  calf  when  they  have  attained  their  fifth  or  sixth  year.  The  Bull  is  in 
his  prime  at  three  years,  and  should  not  be  used  after  eight  or  nine  years  old. 

GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  COWS. 

Calving. 

The  Cow  goes  with  young  nine  calendar  months,  or  270  days  but  this  length 
of  time  is  liable  to  variation,  from  the  effect  of  circumstances.  A  calf  is  most 
likely  to  survive  and  be  healthy  which  has  gone  exactly  the  nine  months.  Cows 
come  into  season  at  different  periods  of  the  year,  in  which  state  they  remain  for 
a  few  days,  after  which  the  affection  ceases,  but  it  afterward  returns  in  three  or 
four  weeks.  The  farmer  watches  these  periods,  and  permits  the  company  of  the 
Bull  at  such  a  lime  as  will  produce  the  young  at  a  time  of  the  year  when  grass 
is  plentiful  for  the  nourishment  of  the  mother.  This  should  be  an  advanced  pe 
riod  of  Spring,  for  the  Cow  will  require  nourishing  diet  some  time  before  she 
drops  her  calf  as  well  as  afterward. 

A  Cow  may  be  kept  in  milk  up  to  the  time  of  her  calving,  by  daily  taking  a 
quantity  from  her  ;  but  this  is  most  injurious  to  the  foetus,  [that  depends  on  the 
external  signs — see  the  Cow  Book  !]  and  the  excitement  of  the  new  upon  the  old 
milk  is  apt  to  produce  local  inflammation.  In  towns,  where  dairymen  care  no 
thing  for  the  calf,  and  must  have  milk  at  all  risks,  Cows  are  often  maltreated  by 
being  milked  to  the  last ;  but  no  one  who  conducts  a  dairy  on  proper  principles 
will  be  guilty  of  this  inhumanity.  The  best  plan  is  to  allow  the  Cow  to  go  grad 
ually  dry,  and  not  milk  her  at  all  for  six  or  eight  weeks  before  calving.  "This 
will  keep  her  in  a  reasonably  good  condition,  and  save  extra  food,  which  it  is  not 
advantageous  to  give  on  a  luxuriant  scale,  because  high  feeding  at  this  period 
may  induce  inflammation  and  fever  at  calving.  j 

No  animal  is  so  liable  to  abortion  as  the  Cow ;  it  takes  place  at  uncertain  pe-  5 


18  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  I 

ricds  during  the  pregnancy  ;  sometimes  it  occurs  from  fright,  teazing  by  other 
cattle  in  the  field,  or  over-high  condition  ;  but  also  not  unfrequently  from  some 
bad  habit  acquired  by  the  animal.  It  has  been  found  that  the  habit  is  infectious  ; 
and  when  once  it  has  got  among-  a  parcel  of  Cows,  it  can  be  banished  only  with 
the  greatest  difficulty.  In  all  cases  the  aborted  fetus  should  be  buried  deep  and 
far  from  the  Cow  pasture;  the  Cow  physiced,  and  its  parts  washed  with  chlo 
ride  of 'lime  ;  the  Cow-house  thoroughly  lime-washed  and  otherwise  7  untied; 
and  .lastly,  the  Cow  fattened  and  sent  to  market. 

If  in  a  state  of  health,  no  difficulty  will  occur  at  the  partuution;  but  sbould 
the  case  be  otherwise,  we  prefer  leaving  the  Cow-keeper  to  ask  assistance  from 
a  person  of  practical  skill,  or  veterinary  surgeon,  than  to  offer  any  speculative  ad 
vices  on  the  subject.  With  respect  to  the  treatment  after  calving,  we  bee:  to 
quote  the  following  directions  from  the  volume  on  Cattle,  "  Library  of  Useful 
Knowledge:" — "Parturition  having  been  accomplished,  the  Cow  should  be  left 
quietly  with  the  calf;  the  licking  and  cleaning  of  which,  and  the  eating  of  the 
placenta,  if  it  is  soon  discharged,  will  employ  and  amuse  her.  It  is  a  cruel  thing 
to  separate  the  mother  from  the  young  so  soon  ;  the  Cow  will  pine,  and  will  be 
deprived  of  that  medicine  which  Nature  designed  for  her  in  the  moisture  which 
hangs  about  the  calf,  and  even  in  the  placenta  itself;  and  the  calf  will  lose  that 
gentle  friction  and  mot.ion  which  help  to  give  it  the  immediate  use  of*  all  its 
limbs,  and  which,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Berry,  'increases  the  languid  circula 
tion  of  the  blood,  and  produces  a  genial  warmth  in  the  half-exhausted  and  chil 
led  little  animal.'  A  warm  mash  should  be  put  before  her,  and  warm  gruel,  or 
water  from  which  some  of  the  coldness  has  been  taken  off.  Two  or  three  hours 
afterward,  it  will  be  prudent  to  give  an  aperient  drink,  consisting  of  a  pound  of 
Epsom  salts  and  two  drachms  of  ginger.  This  may  tend  to  prevent  milk  fever 
and  garget  in  the  udder.  Attention  should  likewise  be  paid  to  the  state  of  the 
udder.  If  the  teats  are  sore,  and  the  bag  generally  hard  and  tender,  she  should 
be  gently  but  carefully  milked  ihree  or  four  times  every  day.  The  natural  and 
the  effectual  preventive  of  this,  however,  is  to  let  the  calf  suck  her  at  least  three 
times  in  the  day,  if  it  is  tied  up  in  the  Cow-house,  or  to  run  with  her  in  the  pas 
ture,  and  take  the  teat  when  it  pleases.  The  tendency  to  inflammation  of  the  ud 
der  is  much  diminished  by  the  calf  frequently  sucking;  or  should  the  Cow  be  fe 
verish,  nothing  soothes  or  quiets  her  so  much  as  the  presence  of  the  little  one." 

The  Calf. 

The  Calf,  when  first  dropped,  is  generally  cleansed  by  the  tongue  of  its  dam 
from  the  slimy  matter  which  always  adheres  to  the  skin  of  the  animal.  Some 
times  it  happens  that  the  Cow  will  not  at  first  recognize  her  offspring ;  but  upon 
a  small  quantity  of  salt  being  strown  over  it,  to  which  all  neat  cattle  are  particu 
larly  partial,  she  commences  the  motherly  duties  by  licking  the  skin.  The  first 
milk  appears  to  be  calculated  to  nourish  the  Calf,  which  it  should  be  allowed  to 
suck  plentifully  before  the  Cow  is  milked.  It  is  the  practice  with  some,  as  soon 
as  the  Calf  has  sucked  as  much  as  it  pleases,  to  milk  the  remainder  so  as  to 
cleanly  drain  the  udder,  and  give  it  to  the  Cow  as  nourishment. 

The  treatment  of  Calves  in  rearing  varies  materially  in  different  counties,  and 
even  in  districts.  In  Sussex,  England,  the  Calf  is  by  many  not  allowed  to  take 
all  the  milk  of  the  Cow,  but  is  shut  up  from  her  in  the  morning  and  evening,  and 
a  small  quantity  of  bran  or  ground  oats  given  in  a  trough,  and  not  suffered  to  suck 
till  the  maid  comes  to  milking,  when  she  milks  two  speens,  while  the  Calf  sucks 
the  other  two ;  after  which,  when  the  girl  has  got  all  the  milk  she  can,  the  Calf 
is  left  Avith  the  Cow  a  short  time,  to  draw  the  udder  as  clean  as  possible  ;  and  if 
there  be  any  lumps  occasioned  by  the  pores  being  stopped,  through  which  the 
milk  flows  to  the  speens,  the  Calf,  by  sucking,  will  disperse  them  better  than  by 
any  other  means.  Cows  are  frequently  injured  in  their  milk  by  not  having  their 
udders  thoroughly  cleansed  for  the  first  fortnight  or  three  weeks  after  calving. —  \ 
When  the  Calf  is  about  a  month  old,  it  is  suffered  to  run  with  the  Cow  in  the 
day,  and  kept  from  her  in  the  night.  A  portion  of  the  milk  is  taken  from  the 
Cow,  and  the  remainder  is  left  for  the  Calf,  which  is  again  permitted  to  remain 
with  her  during  the  day  '  this  practice  is  followed  by  some  till  the  Calf  is  weaned. 
ISome  let  the  Calves  gu  with  the  Cows  when  three  or  four  weeks  old,  at  which 
time  the  Cow  has  not  a  greater  supply  than  sufficient  for  the  Calf  alone ;  after 


THE    COW  AND  THE   DAIRY.  19 

which  it  is  allowed  to  run  with  the  Cow  till  about  twelve  weeks,  when  it  is 
weaned,  and  put  in  a  confined  place  out  of  sight  and  hearing,  to  prevent  the  Cow 
being  made  uneasy  from  hearing  her  Calf.  The  Calf  is  then  fed  on  cut  grass, 
clover,  or  other  green  food,  with  hay  and  bran,  till  such  time  as  it  forgets  its 
dam.  It  should  then  be  turned  out  upon  good  pasture  ;  for,  unless  the  Calf  be 
well  fed  at  an  early  age,  it  will  become  stinted  in  its  growth,  and,  when  arrived 
at  maturity,  will  not  fatten  so  readily  as  if  proper  attention  had  been  paid  to  it 
while  young. 

Tn  many  dairy  districts,  it  has  been  found  desirable  to  deprive  the  Calf  of  the 
greater  portion  of  milk ;  which  has  been  accomplished  by  its  being  taught  to 
drink  skimmed  milk  in  a  lukewarm  state,  by  the  following  means: — AVhen  the 
animal  has  fasted  two  or  three  h  ours,  the  first  and  second  fingers  of  the  right  hand 
are  presented  to  its  mouth ;  of  these  it  readily  takes  hold,  sucking  very  eagerly  ; 
in  the  mean  time,  a  vessel  of  lukewarm  milk  is  placed  and  supported  by  the  left 
hand  under  the  Calf's  mouth  ;  and,  while  it  is  sucking,  the  right  hand  "is  gradu 
ally  sunk  a  little  way  into  the  milk,  so  that  it  may  draw  in  a  sufficient  quantity 
without  stopping  the'nostrils.  Should,  however,  either  from  accident  or  from  too 
sudden  precipitation  of  the  hand  into  the  milk,  the  Calf  let  go  its  hold,  the  at-  , 
tempt  must  be  repeatedly  renewed  till  crowned  with  success.  For  the  space  of  J 
three  or  four  weeks,  they  are  usually  fed  with  lukewarm  milk  and  water.  A  I 
small  quantity  of  hay,  ground  oats  or  bran,  and  sometimes  oil-cake,  is  then  placed 
within  their  reach,  which  induces  them  to  eat.  Toward  the  end  of  May  they 
are  turned  out  to  grass,  being  taken  in  for  a  few  nights,  when  they  have  «tepid 
milk  and  water  given  them  ;  which  is  usually  continued,  though  gradually,  in 
smaller  proportions  during  the  last  month,  till  they  are  able  to  feed  themselves, 
when  they  totally  disregard  it.  It  is  then  advisable  to  turn  them  into  pastures 
where  the  grass  is  short  and  sweet. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  rear  Calves  by  artificial  means,  which  by 
some  is  said  to  have  answered  very  well,  where  the  animal  has  been  confined 
and  shut  up  in  the  dark  ;  this  practice  has  been  proved  to  be  injurious,  and  espe 
cially  if  the  Calves  are  intended  for  stock.  We  certainly  have  no  practice  which 
can  answer  so  well  as  that  where  the  laws  of  Nature  are  strictly  attended  to, 
and  the  Calf  is  supplied  with  nourishment  such  as  Nature  dictates. 

The  greatest  attention  in  fattening  Calves  should  be  paid  to  cleanliness,  with 
out  which  neither  will  the  Calf  fatten  quickly,  nor  when  fat  be  of  good  color  ; 
much  risk  will  also  follow  in  losing  the  Calf  from  fever,  or  from  scouring.  Chalk 
should  be  always  before  them  to  lick,  to  counteract  the  acidity  always  found  in 
great  abundance  in  the  stomach  of  the  Calf  when  feeding  on  milk. 

It  is  advisable  in  fattening  Calves  to  keep  them  quiet,  and  to- allow  them  to 
suck  the  Cow  night  and  morning,  taking  the  last  of  the  milk,  Avhich  is  considered 
to  be  the  most  rich  and  nourishing.  By  this  treatment  the  Calf  will  gradually 
become  sufficiently  fat  in  seven  or  eight  weeks  ;  and,  when  so,  it  is  no  advantage 
to  keep  it  a  day  longer — as  small  veal,  if  fat,  is  preferable  to  large. 

It  is   by  some  a  practice  to  bleed  Calves  weekly,  after  they  are  four  or  five  \ 
weeks  old,  and  always  a  short  time  before  they  arekilled — by  which  course  the 
veal  is  rendered  whiter. 

As  castrating  Calves  is  an  operation  which  ought  not  to  be  performed  but  by  , 
skillful  practitioners,  we  shall  refrain  from  giving  any  directions — recommending  i 
the  operation  to  be  performed  at  the  age  of  eight  or  ten  weeks,  as  at  that  age  the 
danger  is  considerably  lessened.  The  animals  should  be  kept  quiet  and  warm 
after  the  operation  ;  and  if,  on  the  following  day,  the  scrotum  sh'ould  be  much 
swollen  and  inflamed,  the  wound  may  be  opened,  arid  the  coagulated  blood  re-  j 
moved. 

AVhether  calves  are  kept  for  veal  or  for  stock,  they  are  begun  to  be  fed  in  the 
same  manner,  by  sucking  milk  from  a  dish.     As  they  naturally  seek  for  the  teat  ( 
when  their  nose  is  put  to  the  dish,  the  fingers  of  the  attendant  may  be  put  into.  ? 
their  mouth  when  in  the  milk,  and  this  will  set  them  going  in  the  art  of  artifi 
cial  sucking.     "  The  milk  "  (says  the  author  of  "  Clerical  Economics,")  "  should 
be  given  to^them  sparingly  at  first,  to  render  their  appetite  more  keen,  arid  pre 
vent  them  from  loathing  at  their  food.     For  the  first  two  weeks  they  should  be 
fed  on  the  milk  first  drawn  from  the  Cow,  locally  termed  the  forebroads,  which 
abounds  with  serum  ;  and  as  they  grow  up,  the  quantity  of  milk  is  gradually  m- 


20  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS! 


creased  to  as  much  as  the  calves  can  be  made  to  drink.  After  the  first  two  or 
three  weeks,  by  all  means  give  them  plenty  of  milk,  warm  from  their  mother ; 
and  let  it  be  that  which  is  last  drawn  from  the  Cow,  locally  termed  aflerings, 
which  are  much  richer.  Keep  abundance  of  dry  litter  under  them.  Have  them 
in  a  place  that  is  well  aired,  and  of  a  uniform  temperature,  neither  too  hot  nor  too 
cold  ;  let  the  apartment  be  quite  dark,  excepting  when  the  door  is  opened  to  give 
them  food.  If  they  enjoy  the  light,  they  become  too  sportive,  and  will  not  fatten. 
Take  care  that  they  are  fastened  to  the  wall,  in  such  a  way,  by  "  swivels,"  that 
they  cannot  hang  themselves.  Never  let  them  make  their  escape  at  the  door,  or, 
by  their  running  and  jumping,  they  will  do  more  injury  to  themselves  in  three 
minutes  than  a  week's  feeding  will  make  up.  Don't  keep  them  till  they  become 
too  old,  because,  when  they  begin  to  grow  to  the  bone,  they  require  more  milk 
than  the  manse  can  generally  produce  ;  and  whenever  they  cease  to  advance  in 
the  fattening  process,  they  begin  to  recede,  and  the  milk  for  a  week  or  two  is  lost. 
They  should  be  kept  from  four  to  seven  weeks,  according  as  milk  may  be  abund 
ant  and  rich.  If  a  calf  be  kept  long,  during  the  last  two  or  three  weeks,  it  will 
require  the  richest  part  of  the  milk  of  at  least  two  or  three  Cows  to  bring  it  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  fatness.  When  the  milk  begins  to  fall  short  of  the  caffs  ap 
petite,  some  mix  eggs  and  others  peas-meal  into  their  food  ;  others  try  infusions 
of  hay,  oil-cake,  and  linseed  ;  but  none  of  these  additions  are  approved  of  by  those 
who  ieed  calves  to  the  greatest  perfection.  Meal  is  understood  to  darken  the 
flesh,  web,  and  lights  of  the  animal ;  but  sago  has  of  late  years  been  almost,  from 
the  first  two  or  three  weeks,  boiled  and  mixed  in  its  liquid  state  with  tl>e  milk, 
and  to  great  advantage.  Begin  with  a  saucerful  of  it  or  so,  and  gradually  in 
crease  the  quantity.  Calves  are  very  fond  of  chalk,  and  they  also  feel  the  want 
of  salt. 

Cow-House — Cleaning. 

The  Cow-house  should  be  airy,  and  well  ventilated  ;  of  moderate  temperature, 
and  kept  very  clean.  The  stalls  for  the  Cows  should  be  paved  with  smooth 
stones,  slope  gently  toward  the  foot,  where  there  should  be  a  clear  run  of  a  gut 
ter  to  carry  off  the  urine  to  a  pit  outside.  The  stalls  must  be  daily  scraped  and 
swept,  and  all  refuse  carried  out  to  the  dung-heap.  In  general,  far  too  little  litter 
is  allowed.  The  Cow  should  have  plenty  of  straw  bedding,  kept  in  a  cleanly  con 
dition  ;  and  this,  when  soiled,  is  to  be  mixed  with  the  dung  for  manure.  The 
only  fastening  for  the  Cow  should  be  a  chain  to  go  round  the  neck,  with  the  oth 
er  end  round  an  upright  post,  but  easily  movable  up  and  down,  and  allowing 
room  for  the  animal  shifting  its  position.  The  feeding  manger  or  stone  trough  is 
on  the  ground,  and  ought  to  be  kept  free  of  all  impurities;  for  though  the  Cow 
is  not  so  nice  as  the  horse,  it  has  a  disinclination  for  food  not  fresh  and  cleanly. 

Except  in  dairies  of  a  high  order,  it  is  customary  to  keep  Cows  in  a  shamefully 
unclean  condition.  The  floor  of  their  habitation  is  filthy,  the  walls  ragged  and 
full  of  vermin,  and  the  hides  of  the  animals  dusty  or  barkened  with  dirt.  Per 
sons  who  keep  Cows  are  not  aware  of  the  loss  they  incur  from  allowing  them  to 
live  in  this  uncleanly  state.  Some  people  seem  to  think  that  they  do  quite 
enough  for  their  Cows  if  they  give  them  food  and  shelter  ;  but  besides  this,  they 
require  to  be  kept  very  cleanly,  though  seldom  indulged  in  that  luxury.  The  Cow 
should  be  curried  daily  like  the  Horse  ;  its  hide  should  be  freed  from  all  impuri 
ties,  and  relieved  from  every  thing  that  causes  uneasiness.  When  you  see  a  Cow 
rubbing  itself  against  a  post,  you  may  depend  on  it  that  the  animal  is  ill  kept, 
and  requires  a  good  scrubbing.  Irritation  of  the  skin  from  impurities  also  causes 
them  to  lick  themselves,  a  habit  which  is  injurious,  for  the  hairs  taken  into  the 
stomach  form  a  compact  round  mass,  which  may  destroy  the  animal.  If  well 
curried,  any  danger  from  this  catastrophe  is  avoided,  the  health  is  generally  im 
proved,  and  this  improves  the  quality  of  the  milk,  besides  increasing  the  quan 
tity.  A  cottager  might  easily  make  two  or  three  shillings  more  of  his  Cow 
weekly  by  attention  to  this  point ;  and  if  he  at  the  same  time  took  pains  to  pre 
serve  all  the  liquid  refuse  of  the  cow-house,  he  might  double  that  amount.  How 
strange  to  reflect  that  many  decent  and  well-meaning,  but  ignorant  and  rather 
lazily-disposed  people,  are  suffering  a  loss  of  four  or  five  shillings  weekly  from 
no  other  cause  than  this  !  It  is  long,  however,  before  old  habits  are  eradicated, 
nnd  new  and  better  ones  introduced. 


THE   COW  AND   THE   DAIRY. 


Feeding, 

The  Cow  requires  to  be  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  food,  not  to  make  her 
fat,  which  is  not  desirable,  but  to  keep  up  a  regular  secretion  of  milk  in  the  sys 
tem.  The  feeding  must  be  regular,  from  early  morning  to  night,  and  pure  water 
must  also  be  offered  at  proper  intervals,  if  the  Cow  has  not  the  liberty  of  going 
to  the  water  herself. 

Regarding  the  nature  of  the  food  of  Cows,  although  soiling,  or  artificial  feed 
ing  in  the  house,  is  at  all  times  economical,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  best 
milk  and  butter  are  produced  by  Cows  fed  on  natural  pasture  ;  and,  although  the 
quantity  of  milk  is  not  so  great,  yet  the  butter  has  a  sweet  taste,  never  to  be  dis 
covered  m  the  produce  of  soiled  Cows.  It  was  formerly  the  case  in  Scotland, 
and  the  practice  is  still  continued  in  some  parts,  to  put  the  Cows  out  to  grass  in 
spring  in  such  an  emaciated  state  that  a  considerable  part  of  the  best  season  was 
\  gone  before  they  yielded  the  quantity  of  milk  they  would  otherwise  have  done. 
On  well-enclosed  farms,  it  is  the  custom  of  many  to  keep  their  Cows  out  both 
night  and  day,  from  May  till  the  end  of  October,  so  long  as  a  full  bite  can  be  ob 
tained  ;  and  some  bring  them  into  the  house  twice  a  day  to  be  milked.  Soiling, 
or  feeding  entirely  in  the  house  or  court-yard,  is  but  seldom  practiced,  except  by 
some  farmers  in  arable  districts.  Although  complete  soiling  is  only  occasionally 
resorted  to,  yet  a  considerable  quantity  of  rich  green  food  is  served  out  to  the 
dairy  stock  in  their  stalls  at  night,  and  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  by  such  farmers  as 
bring  their  Cows  into  the  house  at  these  times.  This  mode  of  feeding  is  more 
especially  followed  when  the  pasture  begins  to  fail ;  the  second  crops  of  clover 
and  tares,  cabbages,  coleworts,  and  other  garden  produce,  are  all  given  to  the 
Cows  in  the  house  at  this  period.  It  is  upon  this  system  that  the  whole  perfec 
tion  of  the  Flemish  husbandry  is  founded  ;  and  it  could  be  put  in  practice,  with 
the  most  beneficial  results,  in  many  other  countries.  In  Holland,  the  Cows,  when 
fed  in  the  house,  have  their  drink  of  water  invariably  mixed  with  oil-cake,  rye, 
or  oat-meal.  Dairy  Cows  are  allowed  to  be  much  injured  by  being  denied  a  due 
supply  of  salt,  which  is  said  to  improve  the  quality  and  increase  the  quantity  of 
the  milk.  In  the  best  managed  dairies  in  Scotland,  when  the  Cows  are  taken  in 
for  the  winter,  they  are  never  put  out  to  the  fields  until  spring,  when  the  grass 
has  risen  so  much  as  to  afford  a  full  bite.  In  the  moorish  districts,  however, 
they  are  put  out  to  the  fields  for  some  hours  every  day  when  the  weather  will 
permit.  In  these  districts,  the  winter  food  is  turnips  with  marsh  meadow  hay — 
occasionally  straw  and  boiled  chaff. 

In  the  richer  districts,  turnips  and  straw  are  given,  and  occasionally  some  clo 
ver  hay  in  spring,  or  when  the  Cows  have  calved.  Upon  this  subject  nothing 
need  be  added,  but  that  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  milk  will  be  in  proportion 
to  the  nourishment  in  the  food.  White  turnips  afford  a  good  quantity  of  milk, 
but  they  impart  a  very  disagreeable  taste,  which  may  be  removed,  however,  by 
steaming  or  boiling  the  turnips,  or  by  putting  a  small  quantity  of  dissolved  salt 
petre  into  the  milk  when  new  drawn.  The  quality  of  the  milk  depends  a  great 
deal  on  the  Cow  ;  influenced,  however,  by  the  food  she  eats.  Linseed,  peas  and 
oat-meal  produce  rich  milk  ;  and  a  mixture  of  bran  and  grains  has  been  recom 
mended  as  food  in  winter.  Brewers'  grains  are  said  to  produce  a  large  quantity 
of  milk,  but  very  thin — the  quality  being  somewhat  similar  to  that  sold  in  large 
towns,  yielding  neither  good  cream  nor  butter,  It  has  been  found  of  some 
importance  to  feed  Cows  frequently — three  or  four  times  a  day  in  summer, 
and  five  or  six  in  winter — and  to  give  them  no  more  at  a  time  than  they  can  eat 
cleanly. 

What  has  been  stated  regarding  the  feeding  of  Cows  applies  principally  to 
those  kept  on  dairy  farms.  In  establishments  for  the  supplying  of  large  towns 
with  milk,  the  method  of  feeding  is  somewhat  different ;  there  the  practice  is  to 
feed  them  chiefly  on  distillers'  wash,  brewers'  grains,  and  every  sort  of  liquid 
stuff  that  will  produce  a  large  quantity  of  milk,  without  reference  to  its  quality. 
The  Edinburgh  cow-keepers  begin  to  feed  with  grain,  dreg,  and  bran,  mixed  to 
gether,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  feed  again  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  a  third  time  at  seven  or  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  ;  grass  in  summer,  and 
turnips  and  potatoes  in  winter,  being  given  in  the  two  intervals.  The  grass  is 
laid  upon  the  straw,  in  order  to  impqrt  to  it  a  certain  flavor,  and  make  it  palata- 


22  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  .' 

ble:  it  is  eaten  after  the  grass  ;  and,  in  winter,  straw  or  hay  is  given  after  the 
turnips.  Part  of  the  turnips  and  potatoes  are  boiled,  particularly  when  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  grains. 

The  following  is  mentioned  in  the  "Farmer's  Magazine,"  as  an  improved 
mode  of  feeding  milch  Cows,  near  Farnham,  in  Surrey : — "  G-o  to  the  cow-stall 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  winter  and  summer;  give  each  Cow  half  a  bushel 
of  the  mangel-wurzel,  carrots,  turnips,  or  potatoes,  cut ;  at  seven  o'clock,  the 
hour  the  dairy-maid  comes  to  milk  them,  give  each  some  hay,  and  let  them  feed 
till  they  are  all  milked.  If  any  Cow  refuses  hay,  give  her  something  she  will 
eat — such  as  grains,  carrots,  &:c. — during  the  time  she  is  milking,  as  it  is  abso 
lutely  necessary  the  Cow  should  feed  while  milking.  As  soon  as  the  woman  has 
finished  milking  in  the  morning,  turn  the  Cows  into  the  airing  ground,  and  let 
there  be  plenty  of  fresh  water  in  the  troughs;  at  nine  o'clock,  give  each  Cow 
three  gallons  of  the  mixture  -(as  under — to  eight  gallons  of  grains,  add  four  gal 
lons  of  bran  or  pollard)  ;  when  they  have  eaten  that,  put  some  hay  into  the  cribs  ; 
at  twelve  o'clock,  give  each  three  gallons  of  the  mixture  as  before.  If  any  Cow 
looks  for  more,  give  her  another  gallon.  On  the  contrary,  if  she  will  not  eat 
what  you  give  her,  take  it  out  of  the  manger  ;  for  never  at  one  tiroe  let  a  Cow 
have  more  than  she  will  eat  up  clean.  Mind  and  keep  your  mangers  clean,  that 
they  do  not  get  sour.  At  two  o'clock,  give  each  Cow  half  a  bushel  of  carrots, 
mangel-wurzel,  or  turnips  ;  look  the  turnips,  &c.  over  well,  before  you  give  them 
to  the  Cows — as  one  rotten  turnip,  &c.  will  give  a  bad  taste  to  the  milk,  and 
most  likely  spoil  a  whole  dairy  of  butter.  At  four  o'clock,  put  the  Cows  into  the 
stall  to  be  milked ;  feed  them  on  hay  -as  you  did  at  milking-time  in  the  morning, 
keeping  in  mind  that  the  Cow,  while  milking,  must  feed  on  something.  At  six 
o'clock,  give  each  Cow  three  gallons  of  the  mixture  as  before.  Rack  them  up  at 
eight  o'clock.  Twice  in  a  week,  put  into  each  Cow's  feed  at  noon  a  quart  of 
malt-dust." 

Milking. 

Cows  are  milked  twice  or  thrice  a  day,  according  to  circumstances.  If  twice, 
morning  and  night  ;  if  thrice,  morning,  noon,  and  night.  They  should  not  go  too 
long  unmilked,  for,  independently  of  the  uneasiness  to  the  poor  animal,  it  is  se 
verely  injurious. 

The  act  of  milking  is  one  which  requires  great  caution  ;  for,  if  not  carefully 
and  properly  done,  the  quantity  of  the  milk  will  be  diminished,  and  the  quality 
inferior,  the  milk  which  comes  last  out  of  the  udder  being  always  the  richest. — 
It  should,  therefore,  be  thoroughly  drawn  from  the  Cows  until  not  a  drop  more 
can  be  obtained,  both  to  ensure  a  continuance  of  the  usual  supply  of  milk,  and  al 
so  to  get  the  richest  which  the  Cows  afford.  Cows  should  be  soothed  by  mild 
usage,  especially  when  young;  for  to  a  person  whom  they  dislike,  they  never 
give  their  milk  freely.  The  teats  should  always  be  clean  washed  before  milk 
ing,  and  when  tender,  they  ought  to  be  fomented  with  warm  water.  The  milk 
ing  and  management  of  the  Cow  should,  in  these  circumstances,  be  only  entrust 
ed  to  servants  of  character,  on  whom  the  utmost  reliance  can  be  placed.  In  some 
places,  it  is  a  common  practice  to  employ  men  to  milk  the  Cows,  an  operation 
which  seems  better  fitted  for  females,  who  are  likely  to  do  the  work  in  a  more 
gentle  and  cleanly  manner,  which  is  of  essential  importance. 

The  Avriter  in  the  "  Farmer's  Magazine,"  above  quoted,  gives  the  following  ex 
plicit  directisns  to  the  dairy-maid  in  regard  to  milking  : — "  Go  to  the  Cow-stall 
at  seven  o'clock  ;  take  with  you  cold  water  and  it  sponge,  and  wash  each  Cow's 
udder  clean  before  milking ;  "dowse  the  udder  well  with  cold  water,  winter  and 
summer,  as  it  braces  and  repels  heats.  Keep  your  hands  and  arms  clean.  Milk 
each  Cow  as  dry  as  you  can,  morning  and  evening,  and  when  you  have  milked 
each  Cow  as  you  suppose  dry,  begin  again  with  the  Cow  you  first  milked,  and 
drip  them  each  ;  for  the  principal  reason  of  Cows  failing  in  their  milk  is,  from 
negligence  in  not  milking  the  Cow  dry,  particularly  at  the  time  the  calf  is  taken 
from  the  Cow.  Suffer  no  one  to  milk"  a  Cow  but  yourself,  and  have  no  gossiping 
in  the  stall.  Every  Saturday  night  give  in  an  exact  account  of  the  quantity  of 
milk  each  Cow  has  given  in  the  week." 


THE    COW  AND   THE    DAIRY.  23 


THE  DAIRY. 

The  dairy  should  be  cool,  airy,  dry,  and  free  from  vermin  of  all  kinds.  To  pre 
vent  the  intrusion  of  flies,  the  windows  or  ventilators  ought  to  be  covered  with  a 
fine  wire  gauze.  The  floor  should  be  laid  with  smooth  glazed  tiles,  and  also  the 
lower  part  of  the  walls  ;  the  benches  on  which  the  rnilk  pans  are  to  be  placed  are 
best  when  made  of  stone  or  slate,  and  about  thirty  inches  broad.  The  ceiling 
should  be  at  least  eight  feet  from  the  floor,  and  finished  in  every  respect  like  that 
of  an  ordinary  dwelling-house.  A  slate  roof  is  preferable  to  one  of  tile,  as  it  tends 
to  keep  the  temperature  more  equable.  Cleanliness  is  of  the  most  essential  con 
sequence  in  dairy  management,  and,  if  not  strictly  looked  after,  may  cause  con 
siderable  loss.  It  is  this  which  has  raised  the  produce  of  the  dairies  of  Holland 
so  much  in  public  estimation.  Every  article  in  which  milk  is  placed,  more  es 
pecially  when  made  of  wood,  ought  to  be  washed  in  boiling  water,  with  a  little 
'soda  or  lime  dissolved  in  it.  If  milk  should  happen  to  sour  in  any  dish,  the  acid 
thus  generated  will  injure  any  which  may  be  afterward  put  into  it  ;  but  if  washed 
in  water  in  which  an  alkali  has  been  dissolved,  the  acid  will  be  destroyed. 

The  utensils  of  a  dairy  are  very  numerous.  The  principal  are  milk-pails,  shal 
low  coolers  for  holding  the  milk,  sieves  for  straining  it  through  after  it  is  taken 
from  the  Cow,  dishes  for  skimming  the  cream,  churns  for  making1  tbe  butter, 
scales,  weights,  &c.  For  making  cheese,  there  are  likewise  ladders,  vats,  tubs, 
curd-breakers,  and  presses  ;  and  various  other  articles  will  be  required,  which  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  enumerate.  The  majority  of  them  are  made  of  wood; 
but  in  some  of  the  best  dairies  in  England  and  Scotland,  it  is  now  the  practice  to 
have  the  coolers  made  of  cast-iron,  wood  lined  with  tin  in  the  inside,  or  glazed 
earthenware.  Maple  is  the  wood  generally  used  in  England  for  the  manufacture 
of  these  dishes  ;  both  from  its  lightness,  and  being  easily  cut,  it  can  be  finished 
in  a  neater  style.  In  Holland,  the  milk-dishes  are  very  commonly  made  of  brass  ; 
and  certainly  "brass  or  iron  is  to  be  preferred  to  wood,  because  the  dishes  made 
from  either  of  these  materials  are  more  durable,  and  can  be  easier  cleaned.  It 
has  been  objected  to  earthenware  vessels,  that,  being  glazed  with  lead,  the  acid 
of  the  milk  acting  upon  the  glaze  forms  a  very  noxious  poison.  This,  however, 
is  scarcely  correct  ;  it  would  require  a  much  stronger  acid  than  that  of  milk  to 
decompose  the  glaze.  Zinc  pans  are  now  coming  into  use,  and  they  can  be  safely 
recommended  for  their  cool  and  cleanly  qualities,  besides  being  economical.  We 
have  seen  it  stated  that  cream  rises  best  in  zinc  pans. 

Churning  is  now,  in  all  large  dairy  establishments,  performed  by  machinery, 
worked  either  by  horse  or  water  power.  Churns  vary  in  size  from  ten  to  fifty, 
and  even  one  hundred  gallons,  according  to  the  size  of  the  establishment.  Great 
care  should  be  taken  to  wash  churns  thoroughly  with  boiling  water  both  imme 
diately  after  they  have  been  used,  and  before  they  are  again  to  be  put  in  opera 
tion  ;  and  those  churns  which  admit  of  being  easily  cleaned  are  always  to  be  re 
commended,  even  although  they  should  not  be  so  elegant  in  construction. 

DAIRY  PRODUCE. 

Milk. 

Milk  consists  of  three  materials  blended  together — called,  in  Science,  the  but- 
teraceous,  lactic,  and  serous  kinds  of  matter — which  can  be  separated  by  artificial 
means,  so  as  to  form  butter,  the  milk  called  buttermilk,  and  scrum  or  whey. — 
The  whey  is  little  else  than  water,  slightly  saline,  and  is  generally  the  chief  in 
gredient  in  the  milk.  When  taken  from  the  Cow,  milk  should  be  removed  to 
the  dairy  or  milk-house,  and,  after  being  sieved,  placed  in  shallow  pans,  to  throw 
up  the  butteraceous  matter  termed  :ream,  which,  being  lightest,  floats  on  the 
top. 

The  following  observations  on  miliv  and  its  management,  made  by  Dr.  Ander 
son,  are  worthy  of  the  consideration  of  cow-keepers  : 

"  Of  the  milk  drawn  from  any  Cow  at  one  time,  that  part  which  comes  off  ai 
the  first  is  always  thinner,  and  of  a  much  worse  quality  for  making  butter,  than 
that  afterward  obtained  ;  and  this  richness  continues  to  increase  progressively  to 
the  very  last  drop  that  can  be  obtained  from  the  udder. 

"  If  milk  be  put  into  a  dish,  and  allowed  to  stand  till  it  throws  up  cream,  the 
portion  of  cream  rising  first  to  the  surface  is  richer  in  quality  and  greater  in  }uan- 


24  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS: 

tity  than  that  which  rises  in  a  second  equal  space  of  time;  and  the  cream  which 
rises  in  the  second  interval  of  time  is  greater  in  quantity  and  richer  in  quality 
than  that  which  rises  in  a  third  equal  space  of  time  ;  that  of  the  third  is  greater 
than  that  of  the  fourth,  and  so  of  the  rest ;  the  cream  that  risrs  ccntinuing  pro 
gressively  to  decrease  in  quantity,  and  to  decline  in  quality,  so  long  as  any  rises 
1 )  the  surface. 

"  Thick  milk  always  throws  up  a  much  smaller  proportion  of  the  cream  which 
i  actually  contains  than  milk  that  is  thinner  ;  but  the  cream  is  of  a  richer  qual 
ity  ;  and,  if  water  be  added  to  that  thick  milk,  it  will  afford  a  considerably  great 
er  quantity  of  cream,  and  consequently  more  butter,  than  it  would  have" done  if 
allowed  to  remain  pure  ;  but  its  quality  is,  at  the  same  time,  greatly  debased. 

"  Milk  which  is  put  into  a  bucket  or  other  proper  vessel,  and  earned  in  it  to  a 
considerable  distance,  so  as  to  be  much  agitated,  and  in  part  cooled,  before  it  be 
put  into  the  milk-pans  to  settle  for  cream,  never  throws  up  so  much  or  so  rich 
cream  as  if  the  same  milk  had  been  put  into  the  milk-pans  dirtily  after  it  was 
milked. 

"  From  these  fundamental  facts,  the  reflecting  dairyist  wii'.  derive  many  im 
portant  practical  rules.  Some  of  these  we  shaU  enumerate,  and  leave  the  rest  to 
be  discovered.  Cows  should  be  milked  as  near  the  dairy  as  possible,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  necessity  of  carrying  and  cooling  the  milk  before  it  is  put  into  the 
creaming  dishes.  Every  Cow's  milk  should  be  kept  separate  till  the  peculiar 
properties  of  each  are  so  well  known  as  to  admit  of  their  being  classed,  when 
those  that  are  most  nearly  allied  may  be  mixed  together.  When  it  is  intended 
to  make  butler  of  a  very  fine  quality,  reject  entirely  the  milk  of  all  those  Cows 
which  yield  cream  of  a  bad  quality,  and  also  keep  the  milk  that  is  first  drawn 
from  the  Cow  at  each  milking  entirely  separate  from  that  which  is  last  obtained, 
as  the  quality  of  the  butter  must  otherwise  be  greatly  debased,  without  materi 
ally  augmenting  its  quantity.  For  the  same  purpose,  take  only  the  cream  that 
is  fi*«t.  separated  from  the  first  drawn  milk.  Butter  of  the  very  best  quality  can 
only  be  economically  made  in  those  dairies  where  cheese  is  also  made  ;  because 
in  them  the  best  part  of  each  Cow's  milk  can  be  set  apart  for  throwing  up  cream 
— the  best  part  of  this  cream  can  be  taken  in  order  to  be  made  into  butter — and 
the  remainder  or  all  the  rest  of  the  milk  and  cream  of  the  dairy  can  be  turned  in 
to  cheese.  The  spontaneous  separation  of  cream,  and  the  production  of  butter, 
are  never  effected  but  in  consequence  of  the  production  of  acid  in  the  milk. — 
Hence  it  is  that,  where  the  whole  milk  is  set  apart  for  the  separation  of  cream, 
and  the  whole  of  the  cream  is  separated,  the  milk  must  necessarily  have  turned 
sour  before  it  is  made  into  cheese  ;  and  no  very  excellent  cheese  can  be  made  from 
milk  which  has  once  attained  that  state." 

We  now  pass  on  to  a  consideration  of  the  most  valuable  ingredient  in  the  dairy 
produce — 

Butter. 

Butter  is  made  of  cream,  freed  from  its  milky  and  serous  properties.  This  is 
effected  by  churning.  Some  imagine  that  no  butter  can  be  good  except  such  as 
is  made  from  fresh  cream  ;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  cream  requires  to  have  a  lit 
tle  acidity  before  the  butter  will  form.  The  length  of  time  which  the  cream 
should  stand  before  churning  has  never  been  clearly  ascertained  ;  from  three  to 
seven  days,  however,  may  be  considered  as  the  proper  period.  A  more  import 
ant  matter  than  the  length  of  time  which  cream  requires  to  stand,  is  the  degree 
of  temperature  at  which  the  cream  will  turn  into  butter.  This  has  been  ascer 
tained  from  experiment  to  be  from  45  to  75°  of  Fahrenheit.  In  Holland,  when 
the  cream  is  too  cold,  hot  water  is  put  into  the  churn  to  raise  the  temperature  to 
70  or  75°.  The  best  quality  of  butter  is  obtained  at  a  temperature  of  51°  accord 
ing  to  experiments  performed  by  Mr.  Pooler  ;  and  the  greatest  quantity  at  a  tem 
perature  of  56°.  During  the  process  of  churning,  the  agitation  will  increase  the 
heat  to  about  five  degrees  more  than  it  was  when  the  cream  was  put  into  the 
churn.  Mr.  Pooler  is  of  opinion,  that  the  greater  quantity  of  butter  is  obtained 
by  the  increased  heat  causing  more  milk  to  remain  among  the  butter  ;  and  this, 
of  course,  must  decrease  its  quality. 

In  some  of  the  dairies  in  the  neighborhood  of  Edinburgh,  and  in  all  those  near 
Glasgow,  the  butter  is  made  by  churning  the  cream  and  the  milk  together  This 


THE   COW  AND  THE   DAIRY.  25 

is  done  in  order  to  obtain  the  buttermilk,  the  demand  for  which  is  always  great 
in  large  cities.  When  the  milk  and  cream  are  to  be  churned  together,  the  milk 
is  kept  in  the  coolers  for  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  poured  into 
a  milk-tub.  It  remains  here  until  required  for  churning ;  and  will,  during  this 
time,  have  coagulated.  If  a  certain  quantity  of  milk  is  put  into  the  milk-tub,  and 
has  coagulated  before  any  more  has  creamed,  the  coagulated  milk  must  in  no 
way  be  disturbed,  or,  if  the  two  quantities  are  mixed  together,  too  much  ferment 
ation  may  be  the  consequence.  The  milk  is  not  churned  till  it  has  become  acid; 
and  when  once  coagulation  has  taken  place,  it  should  be  churned  as  early  as  con 
venient.  If  the  milk  has  not  fermented  before  churning,  the  buttermilk  will  keep 
for  a  much  longer  time,  will  have  an  agreeable  taste,  and  will  bear  to  be  mixed 
with  a  little  water.  When  the  milk  has  fermented  before  being  churned,  the 
buttermilk  will  never  be  so  good,  nor  will  it  keep  for  such  a  length  of  time  as 
the  former. 

The  operation  of  churning,  whether  it  be  of  cream  alone,  or  cream  and  milk,  is 
performed  in  the  same  manner.  The  milk  requires  more  time  than  cream  to 
complete  the  process,  from  two  to  three  hours  being  considered  necessary, 
while  cream  alone  may  be  effectually  churned  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  It  is  ne 
cessary  that  the  operation  should  be  slow  in  warm  weather  ;  for  if  done  too  has 
tily,  the  butter  will  be  soft  and  white.  If  the  cream  is  at  too  high  a  tempera 
ture,  the  churn  should  be  cooled  with  cold  spring  water,  to  reduce  it  to  the  proper 
degree  of  heat.  In  winter,  again,  the  operation  of  churning  should  be  done  as 
quickly  as  possible,  the  action  being  regular  ;  and  the  churn  should  be  warn>ed, 
to  raise  the  temperature  of  the  milk  or  cream.  The  air  which  is  generated  in 
the  churn  should  be  allowed  to  escape,  or  it  will  impede  the  process  by  the  froth 
which  it  creates. 

After  the  churning  is  performed,  the  butter  should  be  washed  in  cold  spring 
water,  with  a  little  salt  in  it,  two  or  three  times,  to  extract  all  the  milk  which 
may  be  lodging  about  the  mass.  It  is  said  by  some  that  the  butter  retains  its 
sweetness  much  longer  when  no  water  is  used ;  and  others  affirm  that  the  wash 
ing  improves  the  flavor.  The  extraction  of  the  milk  from  butter  will  reduce 
its  weight ;  but  it  appears  from  the  experiments  of  Mr.  Pooler  upon  the  tempera 
ture  of  the  cream,  that  the  less  milk  which  is  in  the  butter  its  quality  is  propor- 
tionably  improved.  Kneading  and  beating  the  butter  too  much  render  it  tough 
and  gluey.  After  the  milk  has  been  carefully  extracted,  if  the  butter  is  to  be 
salted,  it  should  be  mixed  with  the  finest  salt,  in  the  proportion  of  ten  ounces  to 
fourteen  pounds,  more  or  less,  according  to  the  time  the  butter  is  to  be  preserved. 
The  butter  and  salt  should  be  well  mixed  together  with  the  hand  ;  and  in  Ire 
land  it  is  customary  to  add  a  little  saltpetre.  A  compound  of  one  part  of  sugar, 
one  part  nitre  and  two  parts  of  the  best  Spanish  salt,  finely  powdered  together, 
has  been  highly  recommended  for  preserving  butter.  It  is  used  in  the  proportion 
of  one  ounce  to  the  pound  ;  and  it  is  said  to  give  a  flavor  to  the  butter  which  no 
other  kind  ever  acquires. 

For  making  butter  casks  or  kegs  the  wood  of  trees  containing  no  acid  is  recom 
mended.  When  wood  contains  acid  it  acts  powerfully  upon  the  salt  in  the  but 
ter,  converting  it  into  brine.  Any  wood  will  answer  if  boiled  for  a  few  hours,  for 
by  this  process  the  pyrolignous  acid  will  be  entirely  taken  out. 

In  salting,  the  butter  should  never  be  put  into  the  firkins  in  layers;  but  the 
surface  should  be  left  every  day  rough  and  broken,  so  as  to  unite  better  with  that 
of  the  succeeding  churning.  The  quality  may  likewise  be  better  preserved' by 
covering  it  over  with  a  clean  linen  cloth  dipped  in  pickle,  and  placing  it  in  a  cool 
situation. 

Buttermilk. 

This  is  the  liquid  which  remains  m  the  churn  after  removing  the  butter.  If 
skimmed  milk  has  been  employed  for  churning,  the  buttermilk  is  thin,  poor,  and 
easily  sours;  but  if  from  the  churning  of  the  entire  milk,  the  buttermilk  is  more 
thick  and  ri^h,  and  is  considered  by  many  a  delicious  beverage.  Good  buttermilk 
is  at  all  events  exceedingly  wholesome  and  nutritious.  In  Ireland  it  is  largely 
used  at  meals  with  potatoes;  in  Scotland  it  is  more  frequently  employed  as  a 
relish  with  oat-meal  porridge  ;  and  for  this  purpose  large  quantities  are  brought 
to  Edinburgh,  Glasgow  and  other  towns,  from  the  adjoining  rural  districts.  In 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 


England,  the  buttermilk  of  farmers  is  usually  employed  in  feeding  pigs.  In  New- 
York  it  is  always  found  for  sale  at  the  markets  at  from  two  to  three  cents  per 
quart. 

Devonshire  Clouted  Cream. 

This  is  a  preparation  of  the  rich  milk  of  Devonshire,  and  may  be  said  to  be  a 
kind  of  half-formed  butter,  such  is  the  solidness  of  its  consistency.  In  Van 
couver's  "  Survey  of  Devonshire,"  the  following  is  described  as  the  mode  of  pre 
paring  this  delicious  article  : — "  The  milk  is  put  into  tin  or  earthen  pans,  holding  ) 
about  ten  or  twelve  quarts  each.  The  evening's  meal  is  placed  the  following 
morning,  and  the  morning's  milk  is  placed  in  the  afternoon,  upon  a  broad  iron  plate 
heated  by  a  small  furnace,  or  otherwise  over  stoves,  where  exposed  to  a  gentle 
tire,  they  remain  until  after  the  whole  body  of  cream  is  supposed  to  have  formed 
upon  the  surface  ;  which  being  gently  removed  by  the  edge  of  a  spoon  or  ladle, 
small  air-bubbles  will  begin  to  rise,  that  denote  the  approach  of  a  boiling  heat, 
when  the  pans  must  be  removed  from  off  the  heated  plate  or  stoves.  The  cream 
remains  upon  the  milk  in  this  state  until  quite  cold,  when  it  may  be  removed  into 
a  churn,  or,  as  is  more  frequently  the  case,  into  an  open  vessel,  and  then  moved 
\  by -the  hand  wifh  a  stick  about  a  foot  long,  at  the  end  of  which  is  fixed  a  sort  of 
peel  from  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  with  which  about  twelve  pounds 
of  butter  may  be  separated  from  the  buttermilk  at  a  time — the  butter  in  both 
cases  being  found  to  separate  much  more  freely,  and  sooner  to  coagulate  into  a 
mass,  than  in  the  ordinary  way,  when  churned  from  raw  cream  that  may  have 
been  several  days  in  gathering  ;  and  at  the  same  time  will  answer  a  more  valua 
ble  purpose  in  preserving,  which  should  be  first  salted  in  the  usual  way,  then 
placed  in  convenient-sized  egg-shaped  earthen  crocks,  and  always  kept  covered 
with  a-  pickle,  made  strong  enough  to  float  and  buoy  up  about  half  out  of  the  brine 
a  new-laid  egg.  This  cream,  before  churning,  is  the  celebrated  clouted  cream  of 
Devon." 

Cheese. 

Cheese  may  be  made  from  cream  alone,  or  from  the  whole  milk  ;  the  object 
in  either  case  being  in  the  first  place  to  separate  the  serum  from  the  other  mate 
rials.  This  is  effected  by  curding  the  cream  or  milk,  by  the  infusion  of  an  acid, 
the  refuse  being  tho  serum  or  whey,  which  is  of  scarcely  any  value.  [For  a  very 
valuable  Treatise  on  the  best  mod'e  of  manufacturing  Cheese,  see  FARMERS'  LI 
BRARY  AND  MONTHLY  JOURNAL  OF  AGRICULTURE,  Vol.  1.  pp.  137 — 150.] 

LONDON  DAIRY  MANAGEMENT. 

The  quantity  of  fresh  milk  annually  consumed  in  the  British  metropolis  was 
lately  calculated  to  be  39,420,000  quarts,  costing  £985,500,  and  being  the  pro 
duce  of  12,000  Cows,  kept  principally  in  large  dairy  establishments  in  all  parts 
of  the  environs.  The  milk  is  generally  of  the  best  kind  when  drawn  from  the 
animals  ;  but,  between  the  dairy  and  the  consumer,  it  passes  through  several 
hands,  each  of  whom  takes  a  profit  upon  it,  and  increases  the  quantity  of  salable 
liquid  by  large  infusions  of  water,  chalk,  &c.  In  the  condition  it  usually  reaches 
the  public,  it  is  shamefully  adulterated.  The  charge  of  deteriorating  the  quality 
of  the  article  is  seldom  made  upon  the  cow-keepers,  whose  establishments  are, 
for  the  most  part,  models  of  good  management.  As  it  may  be  interesting  to  our 
readers  to  have  some  account  of  these  large  dairies,  we  present  the  following  par 
ticulars  : 

The  two  largest  dairy  establishments  are  those  of  Mr.  Flight  (known  as  Lay- 
cock's  dairy)  and  of  Messrs.  Rhodes.  Flight's  is  one  of  the  curiosities  of  Lon 
don  ;  it  covers  fourteen  acres  of  ground,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  and  including 
buildings  for  the  different  purposes  required.  In  the  cow-house  there  are  up 
ward  of  400  Cows,  the  whole  of  which  are  fed  in  stalls.  The  food  is  very  prop 
erly  varied ;  at  one  time  they  have  mangel-wurzel  ;  then  they  have  turnip?  car 
rots,  cabbages,  and  clover  ;  and,  when  fattening  for  market,  they  are  fed  on  oil 
cake  and  other  articles.  All  are  curried  daily.  Adjoining  the  cow-house  is  a 
hospital  fcr  unwell  Cows,  or  Cows  which  are  calving.  The  milk-house  is  kept 
beautifully  clean,  being  scoured  daily  with  hot  water. 

With  respect  to  Rhodes':;  dairy,  which  is  situated  at  Islington,  Mr.  London,  in 


THE   COW  AND   THE   DAIRY.  27 


his  "  Encyclopaedia  of  Agriculture,"  has  condensed  the  following  description  of 
its  extent  and  mode  of  management  from  various  publications  : 

"  The  number  of  Cows  kept  by  the  present  Messrs.  Rhodes  exceeds,  on  an  ave 
rage  of  the  year,  four  hundred  :  at  one  time  these  individuals  are  said  to  nave 
had  upward  of  a  thousand  Cows  in  their  different  establishments.  The  surface 
on  which  the  buildings  are  placed  is  a  slope  of  two  or  three  acres,  facing  the 
east ;  and  its  inclination  is  about  one  inch  in  six  feet.  The  sheds  run  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  slope — as  well  for  the  natural  drainage  of  the  gutters,  and  the  more 
easily  scraping,  sweeping,  and  wheeling  out  of  the  manure,  as  for  supplying  wa 
ter  for  drinking  to  small  cast-iron  troughs,  which  are  fixed  in  the  walls,  at  the 
heads  of  the  cattle,  in  such  a  manner  as  that  the  one  trough  may  be  supplied 
from  the  other  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  shed.  The  sheds  are  twenty- 
four  feet  wide  ;  the  side  walls  about  eight  feet  high  ;  the  roof  of  tiles,  with  rising 
shutters  for  ventilation,  and  with  panes  of  glass,  glazed  into' cast-iron  skeleton 
tiles,  for  light.  The  floor  is  nearly  Hat,  with  a  gutter  along  the  center  ;  and  a 
row  of  stalls,  each  seven  feet  and  a  half  wide,  and  adapted  for  two  Cows,  runs 
'along  the  sides.  The  Cows  are  fastened  by  chains  and  rings,  which  rings  run  on 
upright  iron  rods,  in  the  corners  of  the  stalls — the  common  mode  being  departed 
from  only  in  having  iron  rods  instead  of  wooden  posts.  A  trough  or  manger, 
formed  of  stone,  slate,  or  cement,  of  the  ordinary  size  of  those  used  for  horses, 
and  with  its  upper  surface  about  eighteen  inches  from  the  ground,  is  fixed  at  the 
head  of  each  stall.  Four  sheds  are  placed  parallel  and  close  to  each  other,  and 
in  the  party  walls  are  openings,  about  a  foot  in  breadth  and  four  feet  high,  oppo 
site  each  Cow.  The  bottom  of  these  openings  is  about  nine  inches  higher  than 
the  upper  surface  of  the  troughs,  and  is  formed  by  the  upper  surface  of  the  one- 
foot-square  cast-iron  cisterns,  which  contain  the  water  for  drinking.  Each  cis 
tern  serves  two  Cows,  which,  of  course,  are  in  different  sheds,  but  adjoining  and 
opposite  each  other.  All  these  troughs  are  supplied  from  one  large  cistern  by 
pipes,  in  a  manner  which  can  be  so  readily  conceived  that  we  shall  not  stop  to 
offer  a  description.  Each  of  these  troughs  has  a  wooden  cover,  which  is  put  on 
during  the  time  the  Cows  are  eating  their  grains,  to  prevent  their  drinking  at  the 
same  time,  and  dropping  grains  in  the  water.  At  the  upper  end,  and  at  one  cor 
ner  of  this  quadruple  range  of  sheds,  is  the  dairy,  which  consists  of  three  rooms 
of  about  twelve  feet  square  :  the  outer  or  measuring  room  ;  the  middle  or  scald 
ing  room,  with  a  fire  place  and  a  boiler  ;  and  the  inner  or  milk  and  butter-room, 
separated  by  a  passage  from  the  last.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  range  is  a  square 
yard,  surrounded  by  sheds — one  for  fattening  the  Cows  when  they  have  ceased 
to  give  milk,  and  the  others  for  store  and  breeding  pigs.  The  pigs  are  kept  for 
the  purpose  of  consuming  the  casual  stock  of  skim  milk  which  occasionally  re 
mains  on  hand,  owing  to  the  fluctuations  in  the  demand.  This  milk  is  kept  in  a 
well,  walled  with  brick  laid  in  cement,  about  six  feet  in  diameter  and  twelve  feet 
deep.  The  milk  becomes  sour  there  in  a  very  short  time,  and,  as  is  well  known, 
is  found  most  nourishing  to  the  pigs  when  given  in  that  state.  Breeding  swine 
are  found  most  profitable,  the  sucking  pigs  being  sold  for  roasting.  Beyond  this 
yard  is  a  deep  and  wide  pit  or  pond,  into  which  the  dung  is  emptied  from  a  plat 
form  of  boards  projecting  into  it.  The  only  remaining  building  wanted  to  com 
plete  the  dairy  establishment  is  a  house  or  pit  for  containing  the  exhausted  malt 
(grains),  on  which  the  Cows  are  chiefly  fed.  Messrs.  Rhodes  have  a  building  or 
pit  of  this  description  at  some  distance,  where  they  have  a  smaller  establishment. 
There  are  a  stack-yard,  sheds,  and  pits  for  roots,  straw,  and  hay,  a  place  for  cut 
ting  hay  into  chaff,  cart-sheds,  stables,  a  counting-house,  and  other  buildings  and 
places  common  to  all  such  establishments,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  describe. 

"  The  Cows  in  Rhodes's  dairy  are  purchased  newly  calved  in  the  cow-market 
held  in  Islington  every  Monday.  They  are  kept  as  long  as  they  continue  to  give 
not  .ess  than  two  gallons  of  milk  a  day,  and  are  then  fattened  on  oil-cake,  grains, 
and  cut  clover  hay,  for  the  butcher.  The  Short-Horned  breed  is  preferred,  partly 
for  the  usual  reason  of  being  more  abundant  milkers  than  the  Long-Horns,  partly 
because  the  shortness  of  their  horns  allows  them  to  be  placed  closer  together, 
and  partly  because  this  breed  is  more  frequently  brought  .to  market  than  any 
other.  The  Ayrshire  breed  has  been  tried  to  the  number  of  150  at  a  time',  and 
highly  approved  of,  as  affording  a  very  rich  cream,  as  fattening  in  a  very  short 
time  when  they  have  left  off  giving  milk,  and  as  producing  a  beef  which  sold 


» 

28  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS : 

much  higher  than  that  of  the  Short-Horns.     The  difficulty,  however,  in  procur 
ing  this  hreed  was  found  so  great  that  Mr.  Rhodes  was  obliged  to  leave  it  off. —  \ 
The  length  of  time  during  which  a  Cow,  treated  as  in  this  establishment,  contin-  ! 
ues  to  give  milk,  varies  from  six  months  to  the  almost  incredible  period  of  two  < 
years.     We  were  assured  of  there  being  at  this  moment  several  Cows  among  the 
390  which  we  saw,  that  had  stood  in  their  places  even  more  than  two  years,  and 
continued  to  give  upward  of  one  gallon  of  milk  daily. 

"  The  treatment  of  the  Cows  in  Rhodes's  dairy  differs  from  that  in  most  other 
establishments.  The  Cows  are  never  untied  during  the  whole  period  that  they 
remain  in  the  house  In  most  other  establishments,  if  not  in  all,  stall-fed  Cows 
or  cattle  are  let  out  at  least  once  a  day  to  drink  ;  but  these  animals  have  clear 
water  continually  before  them.  They  are  kept  very  clean,  and  the  sheds  are  so 
remarkably  well  ventilated,  by  means  of  the  openings  in  the  roofs,  that  the  air 
seemed  to  us  purer  than  that  of  any  cow-house  we  had  ever  before  examined  ; 
probably  from  its  direct  perpendicular  entrance  through  the  roof — this,  in  moder 
ate  weather,  being  certainly  far  preferable  to  its  horizontal  entrance  through  the 
side  walls. 

"  The  principal  food  of  the  Cows  in  Rhodes's  dairy,  as  in  all  the  other  London 
establishments,  consists  of  grains — that  is,  malt  after  it  has  been  used  by  the 
brewer  or  the  distiller.  As  the  brewing  seasons  are  chiefly  autumn  and  spring, 
a  stock  of  grains  is  laid  in  at  these  seasons  sufficient  for  the  rest  of  the  year. — 
The  grains  are  generally  laid  in  pits,  bottomed  and  lined  with  brickwork  set  in 
cement,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  deep,  about  twelve  or  sixteen  feet  wide,  and  of 
any  convenient  length.  The  grains  are  firmly  trodden  down  by  men — the  heaps 
being  finished  like  hayricks,  or  ridges  in  which  potatoes  are  laid  up  for  the  win 
ter,  and  covered  with  from  six  to  nine  inches  of  moist  earth  or  mud,  to  keep  out 
the  rain  and  frost  in  winter  and  the  heat  in  summer.  As  a  Cow  consumes  about 
a  bushel  of  grains  a  day,  it  is  easy  to  calculate  the  quantity  required  to  be  laid  in. 
The  grains  are  warm,  smoking-,  and  in  a  state  of  fermentation,  when  put  in,  and 
they  continue  fit  for  use  for  several  years — becoming  somewhat  sour,  but  they  are, 
it  is  said,  as  much  relished  by  the  Cows  as  when  fresh,  It  is  common  to  keep 
grains  two  or  three  years ;  but  in  this  establishment  they  have  been  kept  nine 
years,  and  found  perfectly  good.  The  exclusion  of  the  air  almost  prevents  the 
increase  of  the  fermentation  and  consequent  decomposition.  What  is  called  dis 
tillers'  wash — which  is  the  remainder,  after  distillation,  of  a  decoction  of  ground 
malt  and  rneal — is  also  given  to  Cows,  but  more  frequently  to  such  as  are  fatten 
ing  than  to  those  in  milk.  The  present  price  of  brewers'  grains  is  fourpence  half 
penny  per  bushel ;  of  distillers'  grains,  on  account  of  the  meal  which  they  con- 
tain/ninepence  a  bushel ;  of  wash,  thirty-six  gallons  for  sixpence. 

"  Salt  is  given  to  the  Cows  in  Rhodes's  dairy  at  the  rate  of  two  ounces  each 
Cow  a  day.  It  is  mixed  with  the  grains,  which  are  supplied  before  milking, 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  and  in  the  afternoon,  about  two  o'clock,  just 
before  milking.  Of  green  food  or  roots,  portions  are  supplied  alternately  with 
the  grains  ;  and  in  winter,  when  tares  or  green  grass  cannot  be  procured,  after 
the  turnips,  potatoes,  or  mangel-wurzel  have  been  eaten,  a  portion  of  dry  hay  is 
given. 

"  The  produce  of  this  dairy  is  almost  entirely  milk  and  cream  for  private  fami 
lies  and  for  public  hospitals  and  other  institutions.  A  number  of  the  public  es 
tablishments  are  supplied  directly  from  the  dairy  by  contract ;  but  private  fami 
lies  are  principally  supplied  by  milk-dealers :  these  have  what  are  called  milk- 
walks — that  is,  a  certain  number  of  customers,  whom  they  call  upon  with  sup 
plies  twice  a  day ;  and  they  are  thus  enabled  to  ascertain  the  average  of  what 
their  customers  consume,  and  to  contract  with  Messrs.  Rhodes  for  this  average. 
The  latter  calculate  the  number  of  Cows  sufficient  to  give  the  dealer  the  supply 
vranted,  and  this  number  the  dealer  undertakes  to  milk  twice  a  day — namely,  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  three  in  the  afternoon.  The  milk  is  meas 
ured  to  the  dealer,  and  should  he  have  milked  more  than  his  quantity,  it  remains 
with  the  dairyman  ;  but  should  the  Cows  have  been  deficient  in  the  quantity,  it 
is  made  good  from  the  milk  of  other  Cows,  milked  on  account  of  the  contracts  of 
the  establishment.  As  the  supply  of  the  Cows  and  the  demand  of  the  dealers 
are  continually  varyin  " 
main  on  the  dairym 


:ying,  it  often  happens  that  considerable  quantities  of  milk  re-  ^ 
nan's  hands— frequently,  we  are  told,  as  much  as  sixty  or  sev-  j 


enty  gallons  a  day.     This  quantity  is  placed  in  shallow  earthen  vessels,  to  throw 
up  the  cream  in  the  usual  manner  ;  this  cream  is  churned,  and   the  butter  sold." 
C  The  skimmed  milk,  it  is  added,  as  well  as  the  buttermilk,  are,  as  is  usual  in 
English  dairies,  given  to  the  pigs. 

NEW-YORK  DAIRY  MANAGEMENT. 

In  contrast  to  the  above,  we  here  insert  some  remarks  more  immediately  ap 
plicable  to  the  management  of  the  New-York  Dairies,  from  HARTLEY'S  ESSAY  ON 
MILK,  published  in  New- York  in  the  year  1842 : 

"  The  manner  of  producing  milk  to  supply  the  inhabitants  of  cities  and  other 
populous  places  is  so  contrary  to  our  knowledge  of  the  laws  which  govern  the  an 
imal  economy,  that  from  a  bare  statement  of  the  facts,  any  intelligent  mind  might 
confidently  anticipate  the  evils  which  actually  result  from  it.  The  natural  and 
healthy  condition  of  the  Cows  appears,  for  the  most  part,  to  be  utterly  disregard 
ed.  They  are  literally  crowded  together  in  large  numbers  in  filthy  pens,  which 
at  once  deprives  them  of  adequate  exercise  and  pure  air,  both  of  which  are  indis 
pensably  essential  to  their  health.  Instead  of  being  supplied  with  food  suited  to 
the  masticatory  and  digestive  organs  of  herbivorous  and  ruminant  animals,  they 
are  most  generally  treated  as  if  omnivorous  ;  and  their  stomachs  are  gorged  with 
any  description  of  aliment,  however  unhealthy,  which  can  be  most  easily  and 
cheaply  procured,  and  will  produce  the  greatest  quantity  of  milk.  Thus,  in  the 
vicinities  of  the  cities  of  New- York  and  Brooklyn,  in  America,  and  indeed 
wherever  grain  distilleries  abound,  either  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  distillery- 
slop  is  extensively  used.*  In  London  and  other  places  where  brewers'  grains  can 
be  obtained,  they  are  in  great  requisition  for  milk-dairies  ;  while  in  grape-grow 
ing  countries,  the  refuse  of  the  grape  is  used  for  the  same  purpose,  and  with  ef 
fects  as  pernicious  as  those  produced  by  the  dregs  of  the  distillery.  Besides  these 
unhealthy  aliments,  in  other  cases  decayed  vegetables,  and  the  sour  and  putrid 
offals  and  remnants  of  kitchens,  are  in  populous  places  carefully  gathered  up  as 
food  for  milch  Cows.  As  might  be  expected,  the  cattle,  under  this  most  unnatural 
management,  become  diseased,  and  the  lactescent  secretions  not  only  partake  of  the 
same  nature,  but  are  impure,  unhealthy,  and  innutritious.  Yet  this  milk  is  the 
chief  aliment  of  children  in  all  places  where  the  population  is  condensed  in  great 
numbers  ;  it  is  the  nourishment  chosen  and  relied  upon  to  develop  the  physical 
powers  and  impart  vigor  to  the  constitution  during  the  most  feeble  and  critical 
period  of  human  life,  when  the  best  possible  nourishment  is  especially  necessary 
in  order  to  counteract  the  injurious  effects  of  the  infected  air  and  deficient  exer 
cise,  which  are  often  inseparable  from  the  conditions  of  a  city  life. 

"  So  few  are  the  exceptions  to  these  modes  of  producing  and  using  milk  under 
the  circumstances  named,  that  they  may  be  said  to  be  nearly  universal,  both  in 
this  and  in  most  other  countries.  And  when  it  is  recollected  that  in  the  United 
States  about  one-third  of  the  population  live  in  masses,  and  in  Europe  a  vastly 
greater  proportion,  some  adequate  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  extent  to  which  the 
evils  consequent  upon  the  use  of  an  essential  but  an  unhealthy  article  of  food, 
prevail."  .... 

"  But  slop  alone,  as  food  for  fattening  cattle,  is  of  little  value.  On  such  unnat 
ural  aliment  they  become  diseased  and  emaciated.  Cows  plentifully  supplied 
with  it,  may  yield  abundance  of  milk ;  but  it  is  notorious  that  the  article  thus 
produced  is  so  defective  in  the  properties  essential  to  good  milk,  that  it  cannot  be 
converted  into  butter  or  cheese,  of  course  is  good  for  nothing — except  to  sell.  But 
in  country  places  milk  cannot  be  turned  to  account  in  this  way  for  there  are  no 
buyers,  and  as  slop  is  not  in  request  for  stock  or  dairies,  if  the  distiller  would  find 
the  most  advantageous  market  for  it,  he  must  conduct  his  operations  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  populous  places.  This,  we  repeat,  is  one  among  other  reasons  why 
such  localities  are  desired.  He  finds  it  less  profitable  to  fatten  swine  upon  slop, 
on  account  of  the  risk  of  killing  them  to  his  own  detriment,  than  to  have  it  fed  to 
human  beings  through  the  agency  of  the  dairyman."  .... 

"  It  has  been  estimated,  after  careful  inquiry,  that  about  ten  thousand  Cows  in 
the  city  of  New- York  and  neighborhood,  are  most  inhumanly  condemned  to  sub 
sist  on  the  residuum  or  slush  of  this  grain,  after  it  has  undergone  a  chemical 

*  Distillery-slop  is  the  refuse  of  grain  diffused  through  water  after  it  has  undergone  a  chemical  change,  the 
alcohol  and  farina  being  extracted  by  the  processes  of  fermentation  and  distillation. 


30  INTRODUCTORl    REMARKS: 

change,  and  reeking  hot  from  the  distilleries.  This  slush,  moreover,  after  the 
ceremony  of  straining  through  the  organs  of  sickly  Cows,  as  before  stated,  and 
duly  colored  and  diluted  and  medicated,  is  sold  to  the  citizens  at  an  annual  ex 
pense  of  more  than  a  million  dollars.  The  amount  of  disease  and  death  conse 
quent  upon  tne  sa^e  and  use  of  this  milk,  is  doubtless  recorded  in  the  books  of  fi 
nal  judgment,  anc  will  hereafter  be  revealed.  But  the  fact  which  chiefly  con 
cerns  the  public  is,  that  this  milk  has  been,  and,  it  is  believed,  is  now,  extensive 
ly  injurious  and  fatal  to  health  and  life."  .... 

"  The  Cow  is  an  herbivorous  and  a  ruminating  animal ;  pasturage,  of  course, 
or  gramineous  matter,  is  its  natural  and  appropriate  aliment. 

"  Reasoning  a  priori  from  the  physical  formation  of  the  Cow,  as  it  is  a  rumina 
ting  animal,  it  were  easy  to  demonstrate  that  its  digestive  organs  are  peculiarly 
adapted,  and  were  designed  by  Nature,  for  solid  food  ;  and,  consequently,  that  dis 
tillery  slop  and  food  of  that  description  is  the  most  unnatural  aliment  which  it 
can  receive  into  its  stomach. 

"  The  digestive  organs  of  the  ruminant  class  such  as  the  Cow  and  sheep,  are 
more  complicated  than  those  of  any  other  animals.  In  the  first  place,  they  have 
cutting  or  incisor  teeth  which  are  admirably  adapted  for  cropping  grass  or  pastur 
age.  The  upper  external  portion  of  these  teeth  is  convex,  rising  straight  from 
the  gum  ;  while  inward  they  have  a  concave  surface,  gradually  diminishing  in 
thickness,  and  terminating  in  a  sharp  edge  which  is  covered  with  enamel,  so  as 
to  produce  and  retain  the  sharpness  necessary  for  separating  herbaceous  sub 
stances.  They  have  also  large  molares,  or  grinding  teeth,  fitted  for  comminuting 
grassy  fibres,  or  food  which  requires  long  and  difficult  mastication,  in  order  that 
the  nourishment  may  be  extracted  from  it ;  and  for  this  purpose  we  find  the 
enamel,  or  harder  portions  of  the  teeth,  distributed  over  and  throughout  their 
texture.  Besides  this,  they  have  large  salivary  glands,  for  the  purpose  of  moist 
ening  and  lubricating  the  food  preparatory  to  swallowing,  and  to  aid  in  the  sec 
ond  process  of  mastication,  during  which  the  food  is  reduced  to  a  pultaceous  state ; 
while,  in  carnivorous  animals,  these  glands  are  either  wanting,  or  of  a  much 
smaller  size."  .... 

"  One  of  the  most  notorious  of  the  overgrown  metropolitan  milk-establish 
ments,  or  rather  the  largest  collection  of  slop-dairies — for  there  are  many  propri 
etors — is  situated  in  the  western  suburbs  of  the  city,  near  the  termination,  and 
between  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  streets,  in  New-York.  The  area  occupied  by 
the  concern  includes  the  greater  part  of  two  squares,  extending  from  below  the 
Ninth  Avenue  to  the  Hudson  River,  probably  a  distance  of  one  thousand  feet. — 
During  the  winter  season,  about  two  thousand  Cows  are  said  to  be' kept  on  the 
premises,  but  in  summer  the  number  is  considerably  reduced.  The  food  of  the 
Cows,  of  course,  is  slop,  which  being  drawn  off  into  large  tanks,  elevated  some 
ten  or  fifteen  feet,  is  thence  conducted  in  close,  square  wooden  gutters,  and  dis 
tributed  to  the  different  cow-pens,  where  it  is  received  into  triangular  troughs, 
rudely  constructed  by  the  junction  of  two  boards.  The  range  of  the  pens  being 
interrupted  by  the  intersection  of  the  Tenth-avenue,  the  slop  is  conveyed  by 
means  of  a  gutter  underground  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  where  it  is  re 
ceived  into  a  capacious  reservoir,  and  thence  conducted  to  the  pens,  which  extend 
to  the  margin  of  the  river.  In  the  vicinity  of  Brooklyn  there  is  a  similar  estab 
lishment,  which  contains  about  seven  hundred  Cows  ;  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
that  city  and  of  New- York  there  are  numerous  smaller  concerns,  where  the  cat 
tle  are  fed  in  like  manner,  by  receiving  the  slop  smoking  hot  directly  from  the 
distilleries.  In  the  far  greater  number  of  cases,  however,  the  dairies  are  too  far 
from  the  distilleries  to  be  supplied  in  this  way.  The  slop  is  therefore  carted  ia 
vast  quantities  from  the  distilleries,  in  hogsheads,  to  the  smaller  milk  estabhsh- 
ments,  which  are  numerously  scattered  in  the  suburbs  and  neighborhoods  of  the 
cities  to  the  distance  oi  several  miles.* 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  the  author  revisited  some  of  the  slop-milk  manufactories  in  New-York, 
Brooklyn,  Williamsburgh,  Bushwick,  the  Wallabout.  and  vicinities,  for  the  purpose  of  information.  He 
learned  that,  at  some  of  the  establishments  in  these  places,  an  unusual  mortality  had  recently  occurred 
among  the  milch  Cows.  The  fact  itself  was  indisputable ;  but  owing  to  the  unwillingness,  not  to  say  inci 
vility,  of  the  persons  who  supposed  it  was  their  interest  to  conceal  the  truth,  nothing  very  definite  in  rela 
tion  to  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  disease  was  obtained.  Some  of  the  distilleries,  we  observed,  had  been 
enlarged,  and  others  were  undergoing  repairs,  which,  occasioning  a  temporary  failure  of  slop,  the  dairymen 
were  carting  it  across  the  East  River  fnm  New-York,  for  the  supply  of  their  cattle.  The  slop  concerns  and 
distilleries,  though  somewhat  improved  in  appearance  since  public  attention  had  been  directed  to  thern^ 


THE   COW  AND   THE   DAIRY. 


'•  The  daily  average  quantity  of  slop  for  a  Cow  is  about  a  barrel  of  thirty-two 
gallons.  At  first  we  were  incredulous  as  to  the  amount  they  learn  to  consume  ; 
but  after  many  careful  inquiries  at  many  dairies,  the  fact  is  rendered  certain. — 
Now  it  is  evident  that  no  Cow  in  health  would  eat  such  an  enormous  quantity  of 
slop.  By  feeding  on  this  unnatural  and  stimulating  food,  they  are  thrown  into  a 
state  of  disease,  and  for  a  short  time  will  feed  monstrously,  and  yield  large  quan 
tities  of  bad  milk."  .... 

"  The  cow-pens  are  rude,  unsightly  wooden  buildings,  varying  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  about  thirty  feet  in  breadth.  They  are  very 
irregularly  arranged,  so  as  to  cover  the  entire  ground,  excepting  narrow  avenues 
between  ;  and  appear  to  have  been  temporarily  constructed,  as  the  arrival  of  new 
dairies  required  enlargements  for  their  accommodation.  It,  is  said  they  will  con 
tain  about  two  thousand  head  of  cattle;  but  this  estimate,  we  would  judge,  is  an 
exaggeration.  The  stalls  are  rented  by  the  proprietor  of  the  distilleries  to  the 
different  cow  owners,  at  from  four  to  five  dollars  a  year  per  each  head  of  cattle, 
while  the  slop  is  furnished  at  nine  cents  a  barrel.*  Slop  constituting  both  food 
and  drink,  water  and  hay  or  other  solid  or  gramineous  fodder,  supply  no  part  of 
the  wants  of  these  abused  animals.  The  fluid  element,  indeed,  appears  not  to 
be  in  request  for  purifying  purposes.  Fountains  of  pure  water,  extensive  hay 
ricks,  capacious  out-houses,  and  similar  conveniences,  which  are  ordinarily 
deemed  so  import-ant  for  the  feeding  and  watering  so  large  a  stock,  are  here  dis 
pensed  with  as  unnecessary  appendages  to  a  city  dairy. 

"  The  interior  of  the'  pens  corresponds  with  the  general  bad  arrangement  and 
repulsive  appearance  of  the  exterior.  Most  of  the  cattle  stand  in  rows  of  ffom 
seven  to  ten  across  the  building,  head  to  head  and  tail  to  tail  alternately.  There 
is  a  passage  in  the  rear  for  cleaning,  and  another  in  front  which  gives  access  to 
the  heads  of  the  cattle.  The  floor  is  gently  inclined,  but  no  litter  is  allowed. — 
The  stalls  are  three  feet  wide,  with  a  partition  between  each,  and  a  ceiling  about 
seven  feet  high  overhead.  But  the  chief  and  most  inexcusable  defects  are  the 
want  of  ventilation  and  cleanliness  ;  though  in  the  latter  respect,  since  public  at 
tention  has  been  called  to  their  vile  condition,  they  are  somewhat  improved. — 
There  appears,  however,  no  contrivance  for  washing  the  pens,  or  by  which  a 
circulation  of  air  can  be  produced.  To  scent  the  effluvia,  as  it  is  diluted  and  dif 
fused  in  the  surrounding  atmosphere,  is  sufficiently  offensive,  and  the  visitor  will 
instinctively  retire  in  dread  of  closer  proximity.  But  to  survey  the  premises  round 
about,  and  merely  to  look  into  the  pens,  will  but  inadequately  convey  an  idea  of 
the  disgusting  reality.  .  .  .  The  astonishment  is  that  animal  life,  with  all 
its  wonderful  recuperative  energies,  and  power  of  accommodation  to  circum 
stances,  can  exist  in  so  fetid  an  atmosphere."  .... 

"  Such,  then,  as  described,  is  the  barbarous  and  unnatural  treatment  of  this  do 
cile,  inoffensive  and  unfortunate  animal,  that  is  destined  to  supply  us  with  nutri 
ment,  both  when  living  and  dead,  and  which  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  gifts  of 
Providence  to  ungrateful  men."  .... 

"  Slop-milk  is  naturally  very  thin,  and  of  a  pale  bluish  color.     In  order  to  dis- 

\vere  still  spoken  of  by  the  inhabitants  in  the  neighborhoods  as  nuisances  of  so  oflensive  a  character  as  to 
prevent  the  improvement  of  property  in  their  vicinity ;  while  their  present  vile  condition  too  truly  indicated 
the  nature  of  the  evils  they  were  continuing  to  inflict  on  more  distant  portions  of  the  community.  The 
most  careful  inquiries,  however,  failed  to  tilicit  any  new  information  of  interest;  but  we  everywhere  re 
ceived  the  fullest  confirmation  of  the  facts  and  principles  which  are  spread  throughout  this  work. 

In  the  course  of  the  tour,  we  visited  a  large  rum-distillery  located  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  the  South  Ferry,  Brooklyn.  We  were  not  disappointed  in  failing  of  admittance  into  the  concern,  for 
it  is  common  to  all  these  establishments,  which  are  battening  on  the  spoils  of  an  injured  community,  to 
conceal,  as  far  as  possible,  their  operations  from  the  public  eye.  It  was,  however,  of  little  consequence,  for 
there  were  other  means  of  information  at  hand,  and  much  that  was  open  to  observation.  We  were  informed 
that  from  seven  hundred  to  one  thousand  bushels  of  grain  are  daily  converted  into  whisky  at  this  distillery, 
the  refuse  of  which  would  suffice  to  slop  two  thousand  Cows;  and  that  about  fifty  head  of  cattle,  and  from 
jive  to  seven  hundrred  swine,  were  fattening  on  the  premises.  No  milch  Cows  are  there  kept ;  but  we  count 
ed  eighty-seven  carts  and  wagons,  containing  an  aggregate  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  hogsheads,  appa 
rently  waiting  for  slush,  exclusive  of  numerous  others  which  were  going  and  returning  from  the  premises. 
The  hour  of  our  visit  (3  o'clock  P.M.)  was  inopportune  to  witness  the  dally  delivery  of  the  slop.  The  great- 
cat  activity  in  the  business  is  from  4  to  8  o'clock  morning  and  evening,  during  which  time  an  incessant 
•tream  of  carts  is  seen  issuing  from  the  distillery,  laden  with  slop  for  the  supply  of  the  neighboring  dairies. 

The  quantity  of  milk  required  for  the  daily  supply  of  the  cities  of  New- York  and  Brooklyn,  as  near  as  can 
oe  ascertained,  is  about  fifteen  thousand  gallons.  This,  at  the  ave?-age  price  of  six  cents  per  quart,  amounts 
to  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  day,  or.  in  round  numbers,  to  fficen  hundred  thousand 
dollars  a  year. 

*  The  price  of  slop  is  not  uniform,  but  is  varied  by  the  value  of  grain.  It  has  been  aa  low  as  6£  c<3nts  per 
barrel. 


r 


32  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  I 

guise  its  bad  qualities  and  render  it  salable,  it  is  necessary  to  give  it  color  and 
consistence.     That  it  is  often  adulterated  is  proved  by  analysis,  and  the  confes 
sions  of  those  who  from  principle  have  relinquished  the  practice.     Starch,  sugar, 
?  flour,  plaster  of  Paris,  chalk,  eggs,  annatto,  etc.  are  used  for  this  purpose  ;  such 
•\  substances  being  preferred,  of  course,  which  have  the  strongest  affinity  for  the 
)  fluid,  and  will  not  readily  precipitate.*     These  adulterations  enable  the  vender 
{  to  give  the  milk  a  proper  consistence  and  a  beautiful  white  color,  so  as  to  dilute 
the  wretched  slush  with  about  an  equal  quantity  of  water,  without,  detection." 

GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  CATTLE 

Fattening  Cattle  for  Market. 

The  stall-feeding  or  soiling  of  cattle  is  considered  to  possess  several  advantages 
over  feeding  in  the  fields.  In  field-feeding,  the  animals  waste  a  certain  quantity 
of  pasture  by  treading  and  lying  upon  it,  and  by  dropping  their  dung — the  grass 
which  grows  on  the  dung  spots  being  ever  after  rejected  ;  the  animals  also  spend 
time  in  seeking  for  the  herbage  which  suits  their  fancy,  and  much  is  allowed  to 
go  to  seed  untouched.  In  stall-feeding,  the  whole  time  is  devoted  to  eating  and 
ruminating,  while  no  food  is  lost,  and  the  animals  are  brought  to  a  higher  condi 
tion.  Another  important  advantage  of  soiling  is  that  it  uses  up  the  waste  straw 
of  a  farm  as  litter,  and  thus  furnishes  a  plentiful  supply  of  that  indispensable  ar 
ticle,  manure,  for  the  fields.  Some  feeders  tie  up  their  cattle  to  the  stall  while 
preparing  for  market ;  but  others  permit  them  to  roam  about  on  a  thick  bed  of 
straw  in  an  enclosure  in  the  farm-yard,  with  a  shed  to  retire  to  for  shelter — the 
feeding  in  this  case  being  from  racks.  Unless  for  a  period  during  the  final  pro 
cess  of  fattening,  the  straw-yard  method  is  reckoned  the  best  for  keeping  the  cat 
tle  in  a  healthy  state,  and  consequently  for  producing  beef  of  the  finest  kind. — 
The  practice  of  feeding  cattle  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  in  darkened 
stalls,  on  oil-cake,  carrots,  mangel-wurzel,  &c.  produces,  as  is  well  known,  a 
great  deposition  of  fat,  and  swells  the  animals  to  a  monstrous  size.  The  beef, 
however,  of  such  over-fed  cattle  is  never  fine.  The  fat  with  which  it  is  loaded 
easily  escapes  in  cooking,  and  leaves  lean  of  an  inferior  quality.  The  best  sign 
of  .good  meat  is  its  being  marbled,  or  the  fat  and  lean  well  mixed,  when  brought 
to  the  table  ;  and  this  is  not  to  be  expected  from  beef  fed  in  an  unnatural  con 
dition. 

The  age  at  which  cattle  are  fattened  depends  upon  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  been  reared — upon  the  properties  of  the  breed  in  regard  to  a  propensity  to 
fatten  earlier  or  later  in  life — and  on  the  circumstances  of  their  being  employed 
in  breeding,  in  labor,  for  the  dairy,  or  reared  solely  for  the  butcher.  In  the  latter 
case,  the  most  improved  breeds  are  fit  for  the  shambles  when  about  three  years 
old,  and  very  few  of  any  large  breed  are  kept  more  than  a  year  longer.  As  to 
Cows  and  working  Oxen,  the  age  of  fattening  must  necessarily  be  more  indefin 
ite  ;  in  most  instances,  the  latter  are  put  up  to  feed  after  working  three  years,  or 
in  the  seventh  or  eighth  year  of  their  age. 

Rules  for  Selecting  Cattle. 

In  selecting  cattle  for  feeding,  their  qualities  may  be  in  some  measure  known 
by  examining  the  hide,  horns,  &c.  "  It  is  well  known  that  the  grazier  and  the 
butcher  judge  of  the  aptitude  that  any  animal  has  to  fatten  from  the  touch  of 
the  skin.  When  the  hide  feels  soft  and  Silky,  it  strongly  indicates  a  tendency  in 
the  animal  to  take  on  meat ;  and  it  is  evident  that  a  fine  and  soft  skin  must  be 
more  pliable,  and  more  easily  stretched  out  to  receive  any  extraordinary  quantity 
of  flesh,  than  a  thick  or  tough  one.  At  the  same  time  thick  hides  are  of  grea't 
importance  in  various  manufactures.  Indeed,  they  are  necessary  in  cold  coun 
tries,  where  cattle  are  much  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the  seasons  ;  and,  in  \ 
the  best  breeds  of  Highland  cattle,  the  skin  is  thick  in  proportion  to  their  size, 
without  being  so  tough  as  to  be  prejudicial  to  their  capacity  of  fattening.  It  ap 
pears,  from  Columella's  description  of  the  best  kind  of  Ox,  that  the  advantage  of 

*  The  presence  of  flour,  starch,  etc.  in  milk  may  be  detected  by  adding  to  the  miik  a  solution  of  iodine  in 
aVcol.ol  or  by  adding  a  little  nitric  acid  to  the  milk,  and  then  a  few  drops  of  a  solution  of  iodine  of  potassium. 
Either  of  these  tests  communicates  a  blue  color  to  milk  or  cream  which  contains  arrow-root,  rice-powder, 
flour,  or  any  other  substance  of  which  starch  is  the  constituent.  [Domestic  Chemist,  p.  148. 


THE   COW  AND   THE   DAIRY.  33 


a  soft  skin  is  not  a  new  discovery,  but  was  perfectly  well  known  to  the  husband 
men  of  ancient  Italy."  These  are  the  observations  of  Sir  John  Sinclair,  who  adds 
the  following  as  a  summary  of  good  points  to  be  attended  to  in  choosing  cattle: 
"  They  should  be — 1.  Of  a  moderate  size,  unless  where  the  food  is  of  a  nature  pe 
culiarly  forcing  ;  2.  Of  a  shape  the  most  likely  to  yield  profit  to  the  farmer  ;  3. 
Of  a  docile  disposition,  without  being  deficient  in  spirit ;  4.  Hardy,  and  not  liable 
to  disease  ;  5.  Easily  maintained,  and  on  food  not  of  a  costly  nature  ;  6.  Arriving 
soon  at  maturity  ;  7.  Producing  considerable  quantities  of  milk  ;  8.  Having  flesh 
of  an  excellent  quality  ;  9.  Having  a  tendency  to  take  on  fat ;  10.  Having  a  valu 
able  hide  ;  and,  lastly,  Calculated  (should  it  be  judged  necessary)  for  working.'' 
It  is  thought  best  to  begin  to  break-in  Oxen  at  three  years  old,  and  to  give  them 
full  work  at  four. 

With  respect  to  judging  of  cattle  by  their  horns  and  teeth,  we  offer  the  follow 
ing  observations  by  Mr.  Hickey  : 

"  The  ordinary  guide  for  ascertaining  the  precise  age  of  cattle  is  the  horn, 
which  is  also  indicative  of  the  breed  ;  at  three  years  old  (this  is  laid  down  as  a 
rule)  the  horns  are  perfectly  smooth,  after  this  a  ring  appears  near  the  root,  and 
annually  afterward  a  new  circle,  so  that,  by  adding  two  years  to  the  first  ring, 
the  age  is  calculated  ;  but  it  has  been  clearly  shown  that  this  is  a  very  uncertain 
mode  of  judging  ;  '  that  the  rings  are  only  distinct  in  the  Cow  ;'  and  that  *  if  a 
Heifer  goes  to  the  Bull  when  she  is  two  years  old,  or  a  little  before  or  after  that 
time,  there  is  an  immediate  change  in  the  horn,  and  the  first  ring  appears  ;  so 
that  a  real  three-year  old  would  carry  the  mark  of  a  four-year  old.'  'In  the  Bull 
they  are  either  not  seen  until  five,  or  they  cannot  be  traced  at  all ;'  nor  in  the  Ox 
do  they  « appear  until  he  is  five  years  old,  and  they  are  often  confused  ;'  besides, 
*  there  is  also  an  instrument  called  a  rasp,  which  has  been  said  to  make  many  an 
arm  ache  a  little  before  a  large  fair.'  Without  any  delusive  intentions,  howe'ver, 
an  ugly  set  in  the  horns  of  young  cattle  is  often  remedied  by  filing  a  little  off  the 
sides  o'f  the  tips  opposite  to  the  direction  which  it  is  desired  that  the  horns  should 
take. 

"  Some  men  have  an  antipathy  to  horns  altogether,  and  would  even  carry  their 
dislike  so  far  as  to  extirpate  them  from  the  brows  of  all  their  cattle  ;  they  can  in 
dulge  their  taste  by  paring  off  the  tops  of  the  horns  when  they  first  break  through 
the  skin.  Perhaps  it  is  not  generally  known  that  the  larger  the  horn  the  thinner 
the  skull. 

"  The  age  is  indicated  with  unerring  certainty  by  the  teeth,  to  those  who  have 
judgment  and  experience,  until  the  animal  reaches  the  age  of  six  or  seven ;  until 
two  years  old,  no  teeth  are  cast ;  at  that  age,  two  new  teeth  are  cut ;  at  three, 
two  more  are  cut ;  and,  in  the  two  succeeding  years,  two  in  each  year  ;  at  five 
the  mouth  is  said  to  be  full,  though  not  completely  so  until  six,  because  until  that 
period  the  two  corner  teeth  (the  last  in  renewal)  are  not  perfectly  up.  The  front 
or  incisor  teeth  are  those  considered,  for  a  full-grown  beast  has  altogether  thirty- 
two  teeth." 

Method  of  Ascertaining  the  Weight  of  Cattle  while  Living. 

"  This  is  of  the  utmost  utility  for  all  those  who  are  not  experienced  judges  by 
the  eye  ;  and,  by  the  following  directions,  the  weight  can  be  ascertained  within 
a  mere  trifle  : — take  a  string,  put  it  round  the  beast,  standing  square,  just  behind 
the  shoulder-blade  ;  measure  on  a  foot-rule  the  feet  and  inches  the  animal  is  in 
circumference — this  is  called  the  girth  ;  then,  with  the  string,  measure  from  the 
bone  of  the  tail  which  plumbs  the  line  with  the  hinder  part  of  the  buttock  ;  direct 
the  line  along  the  back  to  the  fore  part  of  the  shoulder-blade ;  take  the  dimen 
sions  on  the  foot-rule  as  before,  which  is  the  length,  and  work  the  figures  in  the 
following  manner : — Girth  of  the  bullock,  6  feet  4  inches  ;  length,  5  feet  3  inches  ; 
which,  multiplied  together,  make  31  square  superficial  feet ;  that  again  multi 
plied  by  23  (the  number  of  poands  allowed  to  each  superficial  foot  of  cattle  meas 
uring  less  than  7  and  more  than  5  in  girth),  makes  713  pounds  ;  and,  allowing1 
14  pounds  to  the  stone,  i§  50  stone  13  pounds.  Where  the  animal  measures  less 
than  9  and  more  than  7  feet  in  girth,  31  is  the  number  of  pounds  to  each  super 
ficial  foot.  Again,  suppose  a  pig  or  any  small  beast  should  measure  2  feet  in 
girth,  and  2  feet  along  the  back,  which,  multiplied  together,  make  4  square  feet ; 
that,  multiplied  by  11,  the  number  of  pounds  allowed  for  each  square  foot  of  cat 

3 


34  INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  I 

tie  measuring  less  than  3  feet  in  girth,  makes  44  pounds  ;  which,  divided  by  14, 
to  bring  it  to  stones,  is  3  stone  2  pounds.  Again,  suppose  a  calf,  a  sheep,  &c. 
should  measure  4  feet  6  inches  in  girth,  and  3  feet  9  inches  in  length,  which, 
multiplied  together,  make  16|  square  feet ;  that  multiplied  by  16,  the  number  of 
pounds  allowed  to  all  cattle  measuring  less  than  5  feet,  and  more  than  3  in  girth, 
makes  264  pounds  ;  which,  divided  by  14,  to  bring  it  into  stones,  is  18  stone  12 
pounds.  The  dimensions  of  the  girth  and  length  of  black  cattle,  sheep,  calves, 
or  hogs,  may  be  as  exactly  taken  this  way  as  is  at  all  necessary  for  any  computa 
tion  or  valuation  of  stock,  and  will  answer  exactly  to  the  four  quarters,  sinking 
the  offal ;  and  which  every  man,  wha  can  get  even  a  bit  of  chalk,  can  easily  per 
form.  A  deduction  must  be  made  for  a  half-fatted  beast,  of  1  stone  in  20,"  from 
that  of  a  fat  one  ;  and,  for  a  Cow  that  has  had  calves,  1  stone  must  be  allowed, 
and  another  for  not  being  properly  fat. 

Diseases  and  their  Treatment. 

Cattle  are  subject  to  various  diseases,  the  result  of  improper  treatment  or  of 
causes  connected  with  climate  which  it  is  difficult  to  avert.  By  attention  to  feed 
ing,  housing,  and  cleaning,  much  may  be  done  to  prevent  some  of  the  more  fatal 
distempers.  Cattle  that  have  passed  their  lives,  both  day  and  night,  in  the  open 
air,  are  generally  so  hardy  that  they  are  not  injured  by  a  wetting  of  the  skin, 
and  are  liable  to  few  of  the  complaints  of  dairy  or  stall-fed  animals.  Cows  be 
ing  compelled  to  lead  an  artificial  mode  of  life,  are  the  most  delicate  in  every  re 
spect,  and  require  the  most  careful  treatment.  They  should  not  be  left  out  all 
night ;  and,  when  they  return  from  the  field  wet,  it  is  always  a  safe  and  humane 
plan  to  dry  them  with  a  wisp  of  straw.  The  diseases  to  which  they  are  most 
liable  are  of  an  inflammatory  kind,  and  for  these  the  veterinary  surgeon  prescribes 
bleeding,  and  perhaps  some  medicines  to  be  taken  internally. 

Though  it  is  by  no  means  our  design  to  offer,  in  this  work  on  Milch  Cows,  any 
thing  like  a  general  work  on  cattle,  it  is  deemed  well  enough,  besides  the  gen 
eral  description  of  the  breeds  most  in  use,  to  give  a  few  recipes  for  the  most    i 
common  diseases  of  Coics  and  Calves. 

Of  Calves,  the  maladies  which  most  frequently  occur  are  diarrhoea,  and  its  op 
posite,  costive-ness.  The  common  diarrhosa,  or  scouring,  in  Calves,  arises  gener 
ally  from  irregular  feeding,  or  other  bad  management. 

Nothing  is  more  apt  to  disorder  the  bowels  of  the  young  Calf  than  the  too 
common  practice  of  attempting  to  substitute  other  diet  for  that  of  milk,  or  milk 
diet  at  an  unnatural  temperature.  The  young  ruminant  (says  that  high  authori 
ty,  C.  W.  Johnson),  subsisting  on  the  milk  of  its  mother,  does  not  require  that 
complicated  system  of  stomachs  which  afterward  becomes  necessary  for  the  prop 
er  comminution  of  its  food.  Accordingly  we  find  that  the  aperture  of  the  first 
and  second  stomach  is,  in  the  Calf,  entirely  closed,  and  the  folds  of  the  third  ad 
here  together  so  as  to  form  a  narrow  tube.  The  milk  passes  at  once  into  the 
fourth  stomach,  which  is  the  seat  of  true  digestion.  This  arrangement  of  itself 
indicates  that  the  food  of  the  young  animal  ought  to  be  liquid,  even  when  it  is 
deprived  of  the  milk  of  its  parent.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  weaning  of  the 
Calf  must  take  place  very  gradually. 

For  SCOURING,  the  same  author  recommends  the  following  as  an  excellent 

remedy:         Prepared  chalk,  4  ounces;  Laudanum,  1  ounce; 

Powdered  canella  bark,  1  ounce;  Water,  1  pint. 

Mix  these  together,  and  give  two  or  three  table-spoonsful,  according  to  the  size  of  the  Calf,  twice 
or  three  times  a  day 

COSTIVENESS  IN  CALVES.— For  this  complaint  dissolve  from  two  to  four 

ounces,  according  to  age,  of  Epsom  salts  in  two  quarts  of  water,  and  inject  into  the  stomach  by 
means  of  the  stomach  pump,  and,  in  need,  repeat  in  half  doses  every  four  hours. 

CATARRH  (common),  or  HOOSE  (common  cold).— This  is  a  common  com-  « 

plaint,  much  too  often  neglected  till  it  degenerates  into  worse  disorders. 

For  Cattle. — In  slight  cases  house  them,  give  them  mashes,  or  a  dose  of  physic.  In  more  se 
vere  ca«es  bleed,  and  after  bleeding  give — 

Epsom  salts,  *  pound,  Powdered  aniseed,  2  ounces; 

Ginger,  2  drachms ;  Gruel,  3  pints. 

For  epidemic  catarrh  or  influenza,  bleed  from  three  to  five  or  six  quarts,  and  give  the  following 
purging  drench : 

Epsom  salts,  1  pound  ;  Powdered  coriander  seeds,  1  ounc";. 

Dissolve  in  3  pints  of  warm  gruel. 


THE   COW  AND  THE  DAIRY. 


Should  the  fever  continue  after  the  purging  drench,  the  following  fever  drench  must  be  given 
night  and  morning : 

Tartar  emetic,  1  drachm;  Nitre,  4  drachms. 

Mix  and  give  in  a  quart  of  warm  gruel. 

CLEANSING. — The  after-birth  or  placenta  should  be  discharged  soon  after 
the  period  of  calving  ;  in  case  tins  is  delayed,  a  dose  of  physic  may  be  administered,  composed  of 
one  pound  of  Epsom  salts,  and  two  drachms  of  ginger  in  some  warm  water  or  warm  gruel. 
Leave  the  Calf  with  the  Cow  for  some  time  after  it  is  born. 
The  following  cleansing  drink  may  be  given  with  advantage  : 

Cummin  seed  powder,  2  ounces  ;  Sulphur,  2  ounces  ; 

Bay  berries  powdered,  1  ounce  ;  Turmeric.  1  ounce. 

Boil  these  together  for  ten  minutes,  and  give  the  drink  when  cool  in  some  gruel. 

CLYSTERS. — Clysters  are  medicines  introduced  (commonly  by  a  syringe)  into 
the  rectum  of  animals.  The  composition  of  the  most  common  is  as  follows : 

Clyster  for  Cows. 

Epsom  salts,  1  pound ;     Linseed  oil,  8  ounces ;      Water,  3  or  4  quarts, 
useful  to  assist  the  operation  of  physic  drenches. 

CUD,  LOSS  OF — Is  not  a  disease  of  itself,  but  is  usually  a  symptom  of  vari 
ous  disorders.  The  following  drink  may  be  given  in  cases  of  loss  of  cud,  when  no  indication  of 
any  particular  disorder  is  apparent: 

Epsom  salts,  J  pound  ;  Carraway  seeds,  powdered,  1  ounce; 

Gentian,  powdered,  J  ounce  ;  Ginger,  powdered,  2  drachms. 

Mix,  and  give  in  warm  gruel. 

Rumination  is  requisite  in  order  to  keep  an  ox  in  health.  A  little  straw  or  hay  is  accordingly 
necessary  to  enable  it  to  chew  the  cud.  We  know  a  case  in  which  barley-meal  and  boileo  pota 
toes  were  given  to  Cows  without  hay  or  straw.  Constipation  resulted,  and  the  cattle  nearly  per 
ished  from  the  ignorance  of  the  feeder. 

DIARRHCEA — Is  the  excessive  discharge  of  faecal  matter.  It  arises  from  va 
rious  causes,  as  from  too  much  opening  physic,  poisonous  plants,  bad  treatment,  foul  water,  or 
from  some  peculiar  state  of  the  atmosphere.  This  may  be  treated  as  follows : — First  g-ive  an  ape- 
rieut — either  one  pint  of  linseed  oil,  or,  in  a  quart  of  water — 

E  psom  salts,  £  pound  ;  Powderea  ginger,  2  drachms.     Mix  for  a  dose. 
Afterward  give  the  following  astringent : 

Prepared  chalk,  1  ounce ;  Powdered  opium,  £  drachm  , 

Powdered  catechu,  3  drachms  ;  Powdered  ginger,  2  drachms. 

Mix.  and  give  in  a  quart  of  warm  gruel. 

FLOODING — Is  a  discharge  of  blood  from  the  uterus  of  the  Cow,  after  calv 
ing.  The  only  remedy  is  to  apply  cold  to  the  loins :  if  in  warm  weather,  a  pound  of  saltpetre  dis 
solved  in  a  gallon  of  water  will  produce  a  very  cold  solution.  If  ice  can  be  procured,  equal  parts 
of  snow  and  ice,  say  equal  parts  of  each,  will  produce  a  very  intense  cold.  If  the  flooding  still 
continues,  raise  the  Cow's  hind  pai'ts,  give  two  drachms  of  opium  every  hcrur,  keep  the  patient 
quiet,  take  away  her  Calf. 

GARGET — Arises  from  the  inflamed  and  hardened  state  of  the  internal  sub 
stance  of  the  udder  of  Cows.  This  is  a  complaint  which  is  very  apt  to  arise  in  young  Cows,  In 
the  early  stages  of  it,  the  best  remedy  is  to  allow  her  Calf  to  suckle,  and  rub  about  her  udder.  If 
this  does  not  effect  a  cure,  then  it  is  generally  necessary  to  take  away  a  little  blood,  and  after 
ward  to  give  the  following  drench  : 

Epsom  salts,  1  pound ;  Aniseed  powdered,  1  ounce ;  Warm  water,  3  pints. 
The  udder  to  be  bathed  with  hot  water  three  times  a  day.  and  after  each  bathing  to  be  well 
rubbed  with  the  following  ointment : 

Yellow  basilicon,  4  ounces ;  Camphor,  1  ounce,  rubbed  down  with  a  little  spirits  of  wine  , 
Strong  mercurial  ointment,  2  ounces;  Soft  soap,  16  ounces.     Rub  these  well  together. 
In  very  obstinate  cases  I  have  found  the  following  successful : 

Hydriodate  of  potash,  1  drachm,  rubbed  into  very  fine  powder  and  mixed  with  1  ounce  of 
spermaceti  ointment. 

After  bathing  with  hot  water,  a  piece  of  the  size  of  a  small  nutmeg  should  be  well  rubbed  in, 
nisfht  and  morning. 

"KICKS,  AND  OTHER  BRUISES.— Foment  the  parts  copiously  and  frequent 
ly  for  some  time  with  hot  water  ;  if  the  skin  is  broken,  apply  the  following  tincture  : 

Friar's  balsam,  2  ounces;  Tincture  of  aloes  and  myrrh,  2  ounces.     Mix  for  use. 

MISCARRIAGE. — The  usual  period  of  gestation  in  a  Cow  is  two  hundred 

and  seventy  days,  or  nine  calendar  months  ;  but  there  is  much  variation  in  the  time  of  the  Cow 
being  with  calf.  According  to  M.  Tessier,  in  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-one  Cows  upon  which  his 
observations  were  made,  the  shortest  period  was  two  hundred  and  forty,  and  the  longest  three 
hundred  and  twenty-one—being  a  variation  of  eighty-one  days  ;  or.  reckoning  from  nine  months, 
fifty-one  days  over,  and  thirty-one  days  under.  Of  five  hundred  and  seventy-five  Cows^he  found 
twenty-one  calved  between  the  two  hundred  and  fortieth  and  two  haadred  and  seventieth  day  ; 
five  hundred  oud  forty-four  between  the  two  hundred  and  seventieth  and  two  hundred  and  ninety- 
ninth,  and  ten  between  the  two  hundred  and  ninety-ninth  and  three  hundred  and  wenty-first 
day.  It  has  boen  remarked  that  the  Cow  goes  longer  with  a  bull  calf  than  with  a  cow  calf.  Of 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-four  Cows,  noted  by  Lord  Spencer  (Jour.  Royal  Agri.  Soc.,  vol.  i.,  p. 
165),  two  hundred  and  twenty  days  was  the  shortest  period  when  a  live  calf  was  produced,  and  | 
two  hundred  and  forty-two  days  the  shortest  period  when  the  calf  was  reared  ;  three  hundred  | 
and  thirteen  days  was  the  longest  period  he  remarked  a  Cow  to  be  in  calf;  three  hundred  and  , 


fourteen  Cows  calved  before  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-fourth  day,  and  three  hundred  and  ten 
after  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-eighth  day. 

Miscarriage  occurs  oftener  in  the  Cow  than  in  all  other  domestic  animals  put  together.  Per 
haps  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  annoyances  the  proprietor  of  Cows  has  to  encounter  ;  and  unfor 
tunately,  for  aught  we  see  to  the  contrary,  it  is  likely  so  to  continue ;  for,  in  spi'e  of  the  improved 
state  of  veterinary  medicine,  and  the  researches  of  skillful  veterinary  surgeons,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  miscarriage  still  continues  as  frequent  and  annoying  as  ever.  The  causes  are  frequently 
involved  in  obscurity ;  but  it  may  be  mentioned  that  an  exti'emely  hot  and  foul  cow-house,  a  severe 
blow,  violent  exertion,  starvation,  plethora,  an  overloaded  stomach,  internal  inflammations,  con 
stipated  bowels,  bad  food  or  water,  improper  exposure  and  the  like,  will  now  and  then  produce 
miscarriage.  Anything  whatever,  indeed,  that  seriously  affects  the  health  of  the  animal  in  general, 
or  the  state  of  the  reproductive  organs  in  particular,  may  do  so.  But  miscarriage  occurs  again  and 
again  when  no  such  causes  as  those  enumerated  can  be  traced.  The  disease,  if  such  it  may  be  called 
— as  I  think  it  may — is  even  said  to  be  infectious.  No  sooner  does  it  show  itself  in  one  animal  than 
it  is  seen  in  another,  and  another,  till  it  has  spread  over  the  most  part  of  the  cow-house.  Some  say 
this  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  odor  arising  from  the  substances  evacuated.  Possibly  it  may  be  so  ; 
thei-e  is  nothing  unreasonable  in  the  supposition ;  for  although  we  cannot  perceive  the  smell,  nor 
account  for  its  peculiar  influence,  it  is  still  quite  within  possibility  that  such  an  odor  does  exist, 
having  the  power  attributed  to  it.  There  can  be  no  great  harm,  however,  in  acting  as  if  we  were 
assured  that  the  mischief  has  its  origin  in  the  source  so  commonly  supposed,  provided  we  do  not 
shut  our  eyes  to  any  other  which  accident  or  investigation  may  reveal.  In  the  meantime,  the  num 
ber  of  miscarriages  may  be  diminished  by  carefully  avoiding  all  those  causes  which  are  known  to 
be  capable  of  producing  it.  Let  the  Cows  be  regularly  fed  ;  let  their  food  be  good  and  in  proper 
quantities;  let  them  have  water  as  often  as  they  will  take  it;  avoid  sudden  exposure  to  cold  or 
heat ;  and,  above  all,  let  the  cow-house  be  well  ventilated.  Prohibit  all  manner  of  rough  usage 
on  the  part  of  those  who  look  after  the  Cows,  -whether  they  be  pregnant  or  not.  If  any  of  them 
accumulate  flesh  too  rapidly,  gradually  reduce  their  allowance ;  and.  on  the  other  hand,  if  any  be 
come  emaciated,  discover  the  cause,  and  remedy  it,  always  by  slow  degrees.  Sudden  changes  in 
the  matter  or  mode  of  feeding  should  also  be  avoided.  The  same  sort  of  diet  does  not  agree 
equally  well  with  all  the  Cows;  and  this,  in  general,  is  indicated  by  undue  relaxation  or  constipa 
tion  of  the  bowels  :  this  should  be  watched,  and  removed  at  once.  Attention  to  these  and  many 
other  minor  circumstances  will  amply  repay  the  proprietor  for  the  little  additional  trouble. 

"  When  the  farmer  perceives  symptoms  of  miscarriage,  he  should,"  says  Professor  Youatt,  in 
his  excellent  work  on  Cattle,  "remove  the  Cow  from  the  pasture  to  a  comfortable  cow 
house  or  shed.  If  the  discharge  is  glaring,  but  not  offensive,  he  may  hope  that  the  calf  is  not 
dead — he  will  be  assured  of  this  by  the  motion  of  the  fcctus,  and  then  it  is  impossible  that  the  mis 
carriage  may  yet  be  avoided.  He  should  hasten  to  bleed  her,  and  that  copiously,  in  proportion  to 
her  age,  size,  condition,  and  the  state  of  excitement  in  which  he  may  find  her  ;  and  he  should  give 
a  dose  of  physic  immediately  after  the  bleeding,  (this  may  be  1  Ib.  of  Epsom  salts  in  a  quart  of 
warm  water).  The  physic  beginning  to  operate,  he  should  administer  half  a  drachm  of  opium, 
and  half  an  ounce  of  sweet  spirits  of  nitre ;  unless  she  is  in  a  state  of  great  debility,  he  should 
avoid,  above  all  things,  the  comfortable  drink  which  some  persons  recommend  ;  he  should  allow 
nothing  but  gruel,  and  keep  his  patient  as  quiet  as  he  can.  By  these  means  he  may  occasionally 
allay  the  general  or  local  irritation  that  precedes  or  causes  the  miscarriage,  and  the  Cow  may  yet 
go  her  full  time." 

WOMB  INFLAMMATION. — This  affection  of  the  womb  occurs  after  calving 

or  bulling.     The  symptoms  are,  great  irritation  and  pain.     Bleed  and  give  the  following  drench  : 

Epsom  salts,  1  pound  ;     Powdered  can-away  seeds,  2  ounces ;    Warm  gruel,  3  pints. 
Bathe  the  womb  with  Goulard  water,  or  vinegar  and  water  in  equal  parts. 


CALVING  TABLE. 


Day  bulled. 

Will  calve. 

Day  bulled. 

Will  calve. 

Day  bulled. 

Will  calve. 

Day  bulled. 

Will  calve. 

Tan    1 

Oct    8 

April  1 

Jan     6 

July     1     . 

April  7 

Oct.    1  

July    9 

.<     7 

"    14 

"      12 

"      7... 

"     ]3 

"     15 

"14 

"    21 

.4    14 

"      19 

"    14... 

"     20 

"     14  

"     22 

.<  21 

"    28 

"    21 

"      26 

"    21... 

"     28 

"     21  

"     22 

"  28 

Nov  4 

"    28 

Feb     2 

"    28 

May     4 

«     28  

....  Aug.  5 

"  31 

"      7 

»    30  

"        4 

"    31... 

«     31  

Feb  1 

May    1 

"        5 

Aug.  1... 

"      9 

Nov.    1  

"       9 

"     7 

u    14 

"      7 

•'      11 

"     15 

«     15 

"  14 

"    21 

"    14 

'•      18 

"    14... 

"     22 

«     14  

"     21 

<.   01 

"    28 

«    21  

.   .    "      25 

"    21... 

"     29 

«•     21  

....    "     29 

"  28 

Dec    5 

"    28.. 

.  ..Mar.    4 

"    28... 

«     28  

Sept.  5 

Mar  1 

«      g 

"    31 

"        7 

"    31... 

«       8 

"     30  

....    "      7 

"     7 

"    12 

"        8 

Sept.  1  

«       9 

Dec.     1... 

<i  14 

"    19 

"      7 

"      14 

"      7... 

"     15 

'       7  

....    "     21 

21 

"    26 

"    14 

.    "      21 

"    14... 

"     22 

«     14  

....    "     21 

••  28 

Jan    2 

"    21 

.    "      28 

"    21... 

"     29 

1     21  

«    28 

"  31 

"      5 

"    28 

April  4 

"    28 

July     6 

'     28  

Oct.    5 

"    30  

....    "        6 

"    30... 

'     31  

"       8 

THE  SPAYING  OF  CO¥S. 

TRANSLATED   FOR  THE  WORKING  FARMER, 
FROM  «  LA  NORMANDIE  AGRICOLE  JOURNAL  D'AGRICULTURE  PRATIQUE,"  &c.,  &c 


STATEMENT   OF  M.   P.  A.   MORIN,  VETERINARY   SURGEON   AT   THE   ROYAL   DEPOT  AT   LANGONNET. 

A  LAND  owner  in  the  United  States,  Mr.  Winn,  seems  to  have  had  the  first  practice  in  spaying 
cows.  The  object  of  the  operation  was  to  maintain  in  the  cow,  without  interruption,  a  supply  of 
the  same  quantity  of  milk  that  she  gave  at  the  time  of  spaying.  Notwithstanding  the  favorable 
results  that  Mr.  Winn  claimed  to  have  obtained,  the  operation  remained  almost  unknown  in  France 
until  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Lausanne  (a  Swiss),  M.  Levrat  made  known  the  experiments  prac 
tised  by  him,  and  tkeir  effects.  The  Treatise  of  M.  Levrat  ends  with  the  following  conclusions: — 

"  The  effect  of  spaying  seems  to  me  to  cause  a  more  abundant  and  constant  secretion  of  milk, 
which  possesses  also  superior  qualities,  whence  the  following  advantages  result  to  the  proprietor : 

"  1.  An  increase  of  one  third  in  the  quantity  of  milk. 

"  2.  The  certainty  of  having  almost  constantly  the  same  quantity  of  milk. 

"3.  Exemption  from  accidents  which  may  happen  during  the  period  of  heat,  when  the  cows 
mount  each  other,  or  are  covered  by  too  large  bulls. 

"  4.  Exemption  from  the  risk  of  accidents  which  sometimes  accompany  or  follow  gestation  and 
calving. 

"  5.  Ease  in  fatting  cows,  when  their  milk  begins  to  dry  up. 

"  6.  In  fine,  spaying  is  the  only  means  of  preventing  onerous  expenses,  occasioned  by  cows  be 
coming  '  taurelieres'  which  is  so  frequently  the  case  in  some  countries,  that  it  is  rare  to  see  cows 
kept  more  than  two  or  three  years  without  getting  in  this  state :  as  for  example,  in  the  environs 
of  Lausanne  and  Lavaux,  where  they  are  obliged  for  this  reason  to  change  all  their  cows  every  two 
or  three  years,  which  is  quite  ruinous." 

M.  Levrat  confirmed,  after  a  year's  observations,  this  fact,  that  the  quantity  of  milk  was  con 
stantly  kept  the  same  after  the  time  of  spaying. 

M.  Regere,  veterinary  surgeon  at  Bordeaux,  inserted  in  the  Recucl  de  MedecineVeferinaire,  a 
series  of  facts  upon  the  spaying  of  cows,  that  had  been  acted  upon  by  various  proprietors. 

It  appears  from  these  facts,  which  he  recounts  with  many  details,  and  whose  authenticity  is  fixed, 
that  the  spayed  cows  have  given  without  interruption  after  the  operation,  a  quantity  of  milk  at 
least  double  the  average  of  what  they  gave  during  the  preceding  years.  "After  the  researches 
that  I  have  made  since  I  commenced  all  these  experiments,  to  the  present  time,"  says  M.  Regere, 
"  this  calculation  is  very  exact,  and  if  the  cows  continue  to  give  milk  during  their  whole  life,  in 
like  manner,  the  operation  of  spaying  will  furnish  incontestable  advantages,  particularly  in  large 
cities,  and  their  vicinity,  where  fodder  is  very  dear,  and  where  milk  always  sells  well.'1 

A  remark  made  by  MM.  Levret  and  Regere,  is  that  some  cows,  although  they  have  been  spayed, 
have  had  their  heat,  notwithstanding  the  removal  of  their  ovarium,  and  the  incapacity  for  their  re 
production.  These  animals  present,  at  the  time  of  their  heat,  this  difference  from  what  we  remark 
during  the  same  period  in  cows  not  spayed,  that  their  milk  does  not  undergo  any  alteration  in  either 
quantity  or  quality. 

We  may  add,  that  the  school  of  Alt'ort  has,  recently,  practised  this  operation  upon  different  cows, 
and  that  all  the  results  obtained  have  reached  the  point  we  have  above  stated. 

Leaving  this,  we  arrive  at  the  facts  determined  by  M.  Morin. 

"  Young  cows  ought  to  receive  that  nourishment  which  favors  the  secretion  of  milk,  and  which 
in  consequence  renders  active  their  lactiferous  vessels.  The  cow  is  not  usually  in  full  production 
until  after  the  third  or  fourth  calf;  she  continues  to  give  the  same  return  up  to  the  seventh  or 
eighth ;  from  this  time  lactation  diminishes  after  each  new  calving.  On  the  other  hand,  from  the 
moment  that  the  cow  has  received  the  bull,  and  gradually  as  gestation  advances,  the  quantity  of 
milk  progressively  diminishes  in  most  breeds,  until  three  or  four  months  before  healthy  parturition, 
the  secretion  of  milk  is  almost  nothing.  It  is  to  guard  against  this  loss,  and  other  inconveniences, 
that  we  lay  down  what  we  have  obtained  after  some  years'  experience  in  spaying  the  cow,  and 
the  happy  results  that  we  meet  with  daily. 

OF  THE   SPAYING  OF   THE   COW  AND  THE   ADVANTAGES   OF  THIS  OPERATION. 

"  The  operation  of  spaying  in  the  cow  is  productive  of  great  advantages. 
1 1.  The  cow  spayed  a  short  time  after  calving,  that  is  to  say,  thirty  or  forty  days  afterward,  and 


'  ,^>»/-v^x^-j 

38  THE    SPAYING    OF    COWS. 

at  the  time  when  she  gives  the  largest  quantity  of  milk,  continues  to  give  the  like  quantity,  if  not 
during  her  whole  lifetime,  at  least  during  many  years,  and  at  the  time  when  the  milk  begins  to  dry 
up  the  animal  fattens.  We  are  able  to  add,  moreover,  at  this  day,  certain  facts,  the  result  of  many 
years'  experiment,  that  the  milk  of  the  spayed  cow,  although  as  abundant,  and  sometimes  more  so, 
than  before  the  operation,  is  of  a  superior  quality  to  that  from  a  cow  not  spayed  ;  that  it  is  uniform 
in  its  character,  that  it  is  richer,  consequently  more  buttery,  and  that  the  butter  is  always  of  £. 
golden  color. 

"  We  believe  that  we  ought  to  remark  in  passing,  that  if  we  feed  the  spayed  cow  too  abundantly, 
lactation  diminishes,  and  that  the  beast  promptly  fattens.  It  is  therefore  important  that  the  feed 
ing  should  not  be  more  than  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  obtain  the  desired  result. 

"  2.  The  spayed  cow  fattens  more  easily  ;  its  flesh,  age  considered,  is  better  than  that  of  the  ox ; 
it  is  more  tender  and  more  juicy. 

"  Indeed,  no  one  is  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  all  domestic  animals,  females  as  well  as  males,  de 
prived  of  their  procreative  organs,  fatten  more  quickly  than  those  which  retain  them ;  that  the 
flesh  of  the  spayed  females  is  more  tender  and  more  delicate  tha  \  that  of  males.  The  same 
phenomena  take  place  among  spayed  cows  that  occur  among  other  females  that  have  submitted  to 
this  operation  ;  so,  besides  the  advantage  of  furnishing  a  long-continued  supply,  before  commencing 
a  course  of  fattening,  of  abundant  milk,  and  butter  of  a  superior  quality,  the  cow  fattens  easily  and 
completely,  and  a  certain  benefit  follows  this  course. 

"  3.  In  spaying  decrepit  cows,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  age  of  from  six  to  seven  years,  puny,  small 
ones  ;  those  which,  though  fine  in  appearance  bear  badly  ;  those  which  are  subject  to  miscarriage ; 
those  wrhich  frequently  experience  difficult  calving,  or  delivery  ;  those  difficult  to  keep  ;  and  finally, 
all  those  that  are  taurelieres,  that  is  to  say,  constantly  in  heat — we  have  in  addition  to  an  abun 
dant  production  of  milk  and  butter,  and  a  facility  of  fattening,  the  advantage  of  preventing  a  de 
generation  of  the  species,  and  moreover  of  avoiding  a  crowd  of  accidents  or  maladies  which  fre 
quently  take  place  during  or  after  gestation,  and  of  diminishing  those  which  happen  during  the  period 
of  heat,  such  as  that  of  heavy  cows  mounting  others,  or  being  jumped  upon  by  too  heavy  bulls. 

"  Except  under  peculiar  circumstances,  we  should  take  care  in  spaying  the  cow,  that  its  teats 
have  acquired  their  complete  development,  and  that  the  milk  has  the  proper  qualities.  The  most 
suitable  time  is  after  the  third  or  fourth  calving. 

"  Many  societies  of  agriculture,  impressed  with  the  important  results  that  this  operation  effects, 
fix  yearly  at  their  agricultural  meetings,  premiums  for  the  encouragement  of  the  spaying  of  old 
cows.  We  doubt  not  that  other  societies  who  have  not  yet  adopted  this  plan — not  being  convinced 
of  its  importance — when  they  are,  will  imitate  their  example.  By  this  means  they  bestow  upon 
the  country  a  new  source  of  products. 

"We  have  been  engaged  for  four  years  in  researches  upon  this  valuable  discovery,  we  believe 
that  it  is  incumbent  upon  us  to  state  the  results  that  we  have  obtained  up  to  the  present  time.  In 
the  number  of  twenty-seven  cows,  aged  from  six  to  fifteen  years,  that  we  have  actually  spayed, 
we  have  had  the  following  results:  1.  Increase  of  milk  in  cows  of  six  years  ;  2.  Constant  produc 
tion  in  those  that  have  passed  that  age ;  3.  Milk  richer  than  that  of  the  cow  not  spayed,  conse 
quently  more  buttery,  and  the  butter  both  of  a  uniformly  golden  color,  and  having  an  aroma  and 
taste  far  superior  to  that  of  a  cow  that  has  not  undergone  this  operation. 

"  Early  in  July,  1842,  we  obtained  as  a  subject  of  experiment,  a  cow  from  Brittany,  of  the  small 
kind,  twelve  years  old,  calved  about  two  months  before,  and  which  gave  when  we  obtained  her, 
about  six  quarts  of  milk  daily.  The  next  day  after  we  performed  the  operation  of  spaying,  indeed 
the  first  eight  days  after  that,  the  secretion  of  milk  sensibly  diminished,  in  consequence  of  the  light 
diet  on  which  she  had  been  put ;  but,  on  the  ninth  day,  the  time  at  which  the  cure  was  complete 
and  the  cow  put  on  her  ordinary  food,  the  milk  promptly  returned  as  to  its  former  quantity,  and  she 
at  the  same  time  assumed  a  plumpness  that  she  had  not  had  previously.  Customarily  bringing 
together,  the  yield  of  three  days  for  butter-making  being  eighteen  quarts,  it  produced  constantly 
two  kilograms  of  butter  of  the  best  quality.  From  the  month  of  December  to  the  following  March, 
the  quantity  of  milk  diminished  about  one  third,  and  the  butter  proportionally,  the  cow  during  that 
time  having  been  put  on  dry  fodder.  But  so  soon  as  we  were  able  to  turn  her  into  pasture — about 
the  beginning  of  April — the  milk,  after  eight  days  of  this  new  food,  resumed  its  former  course,  and 
the  animal  continued  daily  to  furnish  the  same  relative  amounts  of  milk  and  butter  as  before. 

"  Three  cows,  two  of  which  were  fourteen  years  old,  and  the  other  fifteen,  have  dried  up  two 
years  after  the  operation,  and  at  the  same  time  promptly  fattened,  without  increase  or  change  of  food. 
"  One  cow  eight  years  old,  plentifully  supplied  with  trefoil  and  cabbage,  gave,  a  short  time  after 
the  operation,  a  quantity  of  milk  nearly  double  that  which  she  gave  before,  although  she  was  kept 
on  the  same  kind  of  food.  She  has  during  a  year  continued  to  furnish  the  same  amount,  and  has 
in  addition  fattened  so  rapidly,  that  the  owner 'has  been  obliged,  seeing  her  fatness,  to  sell  her  to  the 
butcher,  although  she  was  still  very  good  for  milk. 

"  Another  fact,  no  less  worthy  of  remark,  we  must  not  pass  over  in  silence ;  and  which  goes  to 
prove  the  superior  and  unchanging  quality  of  the  milk  of  a  spayed  cow.     It  is.  that  a  proprietor 
having  spayed  a  cow  five  years  old,  recently  calved,  with  the  special  intention  of  feeding  with  her 
milk  a  newly-born  infant,  the  infant  arriving  at  the  age  of  six  months,  of  a  robust  constitution,  re- 
^   fused  its  pap  since  it  had  been  accidentally  prepared  with  milk  different  from  that  of  the  spayed  cow.    i 
(       "  The  other  cows  which  had  been  spayed  continued  to  give  entire  satisfaction  to  their  owners,    ( 
<    as  well  in  respect  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  milk,  as  also  by  their  good  condition. 
(       "  Six  cows  manifested,  shortly  after  the  operation,  and  on  divers  occasions,  the  desire  for  copu-    ' 
(   lation  ;   but  we  have  not  remarked  this  peculiarity  except  among  the  younger  ones.     In  other   < 
t   respects,  as  my  colleagues,  MM.  Levrat  and  Regere,  have  stated,  me  milk  has  not  indicated  the   J 
|    least  alteration  in  quantity  or  quality. 

"  Indeed,  the  happy  results  that  are  daily  attained  from  this  important  discovery,  are  so  conclusive,   j 
;    and  so  well  known  at  this  time  in  our  part  of  the  country,  that  as  we  write,  many  proprietors  bring   1 


THE    SPAYING    OF    COWS.  39 

us  constantly  good  milch  cows,  since  we  have  called  upon  them  to  do  so,  for  us  to  practice  the 
operation  of  spaying  upon  them.  Every  owner  of  cattle  is  aware,  that  from  the  time  that  the  cow 
has  received  a  bull,  and  in  proportion  as  gestation  advances,  the  milk  changes  and  diminishes  pro 
gressively,  until  at  last,  two  or  three  months  before  a  healthy  parturition,  the  animal  gives  very  little 
or  no  milk,  whence  ensues  considerable  loss  ;  while  at  the  same  time,  after  the  cows  are  subjected 
to  the  bull,  the  milk  and  butter  are— for  fifty  days,  at  least — of  a  bad  quality,  and  improper  to  be 
exposed  for  sale ;  but  in  addition  to  this,  breeding  cows  are  generally  subjected  to  such  loss  in 
winter,  and  their  keepers  find  themselves  during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  entirely  deprived  of  milk 
and  butter,  and  at  a  time,  too,  when  they  most  need  them. 

"  By  causing  the  cows  to  undergo  this  operation,  as  we  have  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
the  owner  will  never  fail  of  having  milk  and  butter  of  excellent  quality ;  will  fatten  his  animals 
easily  when  they  dry  up,  and  also  will  improve  the  race,  an  anxiety  for  which  is  perceived  in  many 
provinces  of  France. 

"  In  general,  the  means  employed  by  farmers  to  obtain  the  best  possible  price  for  old  cows,  be 
yond  being  ustful,  or  to  use  a  commercial  term,  not  merchantable,  as  to  bring  them  to  the  bull,  in 
tending  that  gestation  shall  give  them  more  suitable  plumpness,  so  that  they  may  be  sold  on  more 
advantageous  terms  to  the  butcher;  but  does  this  state  of  fictitious  embonpoint  or  fatness,  render 
the  flesh  of  these  beasts  better?  Assuredly  not.  It  is  merely  bloated,  flabby  flesh,  livid,  and 
which  easily  taints.  Broth  made  from  it  is  not  rich,  is  without  flavor,  and  without  an  agreeable 
smell ;  the  lean  and  fat  are  in  a  measure  infiltrated  with  water,  and  are  consequently  of  bad 
quality  and  difficult  sale.  These  causes  ought  then  to  determine  farmers  to  adopt  the  advice  we 
give;  they,  as  well  as  the  butcher  and  the  consumer,  will  derive  very  great  advantage  from  it. 

"  As  our  method  of  operating  may  be  slightly  different  from  that  pointed  out  by  our  colleague, 
M.  Levrat,  we  will  describe  that  which  we  practice. 

"  Having  covered  the  eyes  of  the  cow  to  be  operated  upon,  we  place  her  against  a  wall,  provided 
with  five  rings  firmly  fastened,  and  placed  as  follows :  the  first  corresponds  to  the  top  of  the  withers; 
the  second  to  the  lower  anterior  part  of  the  breast;  the  third  is  placed  a  little  distance  from  the 
angle  of  the  shoulder;  the  fourth  is  opposite  to  the  anterior  and  superior  part  of  the  lower  region, 
and  the  fifth,  which  is  behind,  answers  to  the  under  part  of  the  buttocks.  We  place  a  strong  as 
sistant  between  the  wall  and  the  head  of  the  animal,  who  firmly  holds  the  left  horn  in  his  left  hand, 
and  with  his  right,  the  muzzle,  which  he  elevates  a  little.  This  done,  we  pass  through  and  fasten 
the  end  of  a  long  and  strong  plaited  cord  in  the  ring,  which  corresponds  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
breast ;  we  bring  the  free  end  of  the  cord  along  the  left  flank  and  pass  it  through  the  ring  which  is 
below  and  in  front  of  the  withers.  We  bring  it  down  along  the  breast  behind  the  shoulders  and 
the  angle  of  the  fore  leg  to  pass  it  through  the  third  rim?;  from  there,  we  pass  it  through  the  ring, 
which  is  at  the  top  of  the  back ;  then  it  must  be  passed  around  against  the  outer  angle  of  the  left 
hip,  and  we  fasten  it,  after  having  drawn  it  tightly  to  the  posterior  ring  by  a  simple  bow-knot. 

'•  The  cow  being  firmly  fixed  to  the  wall,  we  placed  a  cord,  fastened  by  a  slip-noose  around  its 

hocks  to  keep  them  together  in  such  manner  that  the  animal  can  not  kick  the  operator,  the  free  end 

of  the  cord  and  the  tail  are  held  by  an  assistant.     The  cow,  thus  secured,  can  not,  during  the 

operation,  move  forward,  nor  lie  down,  and  the  veterinary  surgeon  has  all  the  ease  desirable,  and 

%is  protected  from  accident. 

'•  M.  Levrat  advises  that  an  assistant  should  hold  a  plank  or  bar  of  wood  obliquely  under  the 
teats  and  before  its  limbs  to  ward  off  the  kicks ;  but  this  method  is  not  always  without  danger, 
both  to  the  operator  and  the  animal,  because,  at  the  commencement,  that  is,  when  the  surgeon  makes 
the  incision  through  the  hide  and  the  muscles,  the  cow  makes  such  sudden  movements  and  tries  so 
frequently  to  strike  with  its  left  hind  foot,  that  it  may  happen  that  upon  every  movement,  the  plank 
or  the  bar  may  be  struck  against  the  operator's  legs.  On  the  other  hand,  although  the  defense 
may  be  firmly  held  by  the  assistant,  yet  it  may  happen,  that  in  spite  of  his  exertions,  he  sometimes 
may  be  thrown  against  the  operator  by  .the  movements  she  may  attempt,  and  there  may  be  an 
uncontrollable  displacement  of  the  plank  or  bar;  and  then  it  may  happen  that  she  becomes 
wounded,  and  at  the  same  time  prevents  the  operation,  while,  by  the  mode  we  point  out,  there  is 
no  fear  of  accident,  either  to  the  operator  or  the  beast.  In  case  of  the  want  of  a  wall  provided 
with  rings,  we  may  use  a  strong  palisade,  a  solid  fence,  or  two  trees  a  suitable  distance  apart, 
across  which  we  fix  two  strong  bars  of  wood,  separated  from  each  other,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  cow. 

•'  There  is  another  means  of  confiningr  them  that  we  have  employed  for  some  time  past,  where 
the  cows  were  very  strong  and  irritable,  more  simple  than  the  preceding,  less  fatiguing  for  the  ani 
mal,  less  troublesome  to  the  operator,  and  which  answers  perfectly.  It  consists  :  First.  In  leaving 
the  cow  almost  free,  covering  her  eyes,  holding  her  head  by  two  strong  assistants,  one  of  whom 
seizes  the  nose  with  his  hand  and  strongly  pinches  the  nostrils,  whenever  the  animal  makes  any 
violent  movements  during  the  operation.  Second.  To  cause  another  assistant  to  hold  the  two  hind 
legs,  kept  together  by  means  of  a  cord  passed  above  and  beneath  the  hocks  ;  this  assistant  also  holds 
the  tail  and  pulls  it,  whenever  the  animal  seeks  to  change  its  place. 

The  cow  being  conveniently  disposed,  and  the  instruments  and  appliances,  such  as  curved 


scissors  upon  a  table,  a  convex  edged  bistoury,  a  straight  one,  and  one  buttoned  at  the  point,  suture 
needle  filled  with  double  thread  of  desired  length,  pledgets  of  lint  of  appropriate  size  and  length, 
a  mass  of  tow  (in  pledgets)  being^ollected  in  a  shallow  basket,  held  by  an  intelligent  assistant, 


we  place  ourselves  opposite  to  the  left  flank,  our  back  turned  a  little  toward  the  head  of  the  animal  , 
we  cut  off  the  hair  which  covers  the  hide  in  the  middle  of  the  flanks,  at  an  equal  distance  between 
the  back  and  the  hip,  for  the  space  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  centimetres  in  circumference  ;  this  done, 
we  take  the  convex  bistoury,  and  place  it  opened  between  our  teeth,  the  edge  out,  the  joint  to  the 
left  ;  then,  with  both  hands,  we  seize  the  hide  in  the  middle  of  the  flank  and  form  of  it  a  wrinkle 
of  the  requisite  elevation,  and  running  lengthwise  of  the  body.  We  then  direct  an  assistant  to 
seize  with  his  right  hand  the  right  side  of  this  wrinkle  ;  we  then  take  the  bistoury  that  we  held 


40  THE    SPAYING    CP    COWS. 

in  our  teeth,  and  we  cut  the  wrinkle  at  one  stroke  through  the  middle  ;  the  wrinkle  .having  been 
suffered  to  go  down,  a  separation  of  the  hide  is  presented  of  sufficient  length  to  enable  us  to  intro 
duce  the  hand  ;  thereupon  we  separate  the  ed'ges  of  the  hide  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  the 
left  hand,  and  in  like  manner,  we  cut  through  the  abdominal  muscles,  the  iliax  (slightly  obhquetyj 
and  the  lumbar  (across)  for  the  distance  of  a  centimetre  from  the  lower  extremity  of  the  incision 
made  in  the  hide  ;  this  done,  armed  with  the  straight  bistoury,  we  make  a  puncture  of  the  perito 
neum  at  the  upper  extremity  of  the  wound  ;  we  then  introduce  the  buttoned  bistoury,  and  move  it 
obliquely  from  above  to  the  lower  part,  up  to  the  termination  of  the  incision  made  in  the  abdominal 
muscles.  The  flank  being  opened,  we  introduce  the  right  hand  into  the  abdomen  and  direct  it  along 
the  right  side  of  the  cavity  of  the  pelvis,  behind  the  cul  de  saurumen  (paunch)  and  underneath  the 
rectum,  where  we  find  the  comes  de  I'uterus  (matrix) ;  after  we  have  ascertained  the  position  of 
these  viscera,  we  search  for  the  ovnires  (organs  of  reproduction),  which  are  at  the  extremity  of  the 
comes,  and  when  we  have  found  them,  we  seize  them  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  detach 
them  completely  from  the  ligaments  that  keep  them  in  their  place,  pull  lightly,  separating  the  cord, 
and  the  vessels  (uterine  or  fallopian  tube)  at  their  place  of  union  with  the  ovarium,  by  means  of  the 
nail  of  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  which  presents  icself  at  the  point  of  touch  ;  in  fact  we  break  the 
cord  and  bring  away  the  ovarium.  We  then  introduce  again  the  hand  in  the  abdominal  cavity, 
and  we  proceed  in  the  same  manner  to  extract  the  other  ovaria.  This  operation  terminated,  we, 
by  the  assistance  of  the  needle,  place  a  suture  of  three  or  four  double  threads  waxed  at  an  equal 
distance,  and  at  two  centimetres,  or  a  little  less  from  the  lips  of  the  wound,  passing  it  through  the 
divided  tissues,  we  move  from  the  left  hand  with  the  piece  of  thread  ;  having  reached  that  point, 
we  fasten  with  a  double  knot,  we  place  the  seam  in  the  intervals  of  the  thread  from  the  right,  and 
as  we  approach  the  lips  of  the  wound,  we  fasten  by  a  simple  knot,  with  a  bow,  being  careful  not 
to  close  too  tightly  the  lower  part  of  the  seam,  so  that  the  suppuration  which  may  be  established  in 
the  wound,  may  be  able  to  escape.  This  operation  effected,  we  cover  up  the  wound  with  a  pledget 
of  lint  kept  in  its  place  by  three  or  four  threads  passed  through  the  stitches,  and  all  is  completed, 
and  the  cow  is  then  led  back  to  the  stable. 

"It  happens,  sometimes,  that  in  cutting  the  muscles,  of  W-  ich  we  have  before  spoken,  we  cut 
one  or  two  of  the  arteries  which  bleed  so  much,  that  there  is  necessity  for  a  ligature  before  open 
ing  the  peritoneal  sac,  because,  if  this  precaution  be  omitted,  blood  will  escape  into  the  abdomen, 
and  may  occasion  the  most  serious  consequences. 

CARE   AFTER   THE    OPERATION. 

The  regimen  that  we  prescribe  during  the  first  eight  days  following  the  operation,  is  a  light 
diet,  and  a  soothing  lukewarm  draught ;  if  the  weather  should  be  cold,  we  cover  the  cow  with  a 
woollen  covering.  We  must  prevent  the  animal  from  licking  the  wound  and  from  rubbing  it 
against  other  bodies.  The  third  day  after  the  operation,  we  bathe  morning  and  evening  about  the 
wound,  with  water  of  mallows  lukewarm,  and  in  default  of  this,  we  anoint  it  with  a  salve  of  hog's 
lard,  and  we  administer  an  emollient  glyster  during  three  or  four  days. 

"  Eight  days  after  the  operation  we  take  away  the  bandage,  the  lint,  the  fastenings  and  the 
threads  ;  the  wound  is  at  that  time  completely  cicatrized,  as  we  have  observed  that  a  reunion  takes 
place  almost  always  by  the  first  intention,  as  we  have  only  observed  suppuration  in  three  cows, 
and  then  it  was  very  slight.  In  this  case  we  must  use  a  slight  pressure  above  the  part  where  the 
suppuration  is  established,  so  as  to  cause  the  pus  to  leave  it,  and  if  it  continues  more  than  five  or 
six  days,  we  must  supply  emollients  by  alcolized  water,  or  chloridized,  especially  if  it  be  in  sum 
mer.  We  then  bring  the  cow  gradually  back  to  her  ordinary  nourishment. 

"  We  have  remarked  in  some  cows  a  swelling  of  the  body  a  short  time  after  being  spayed,  a  state 
that  we  have  attributed  to  the  introduction  of  cold  air  into  the  abdomen  during  the  operation ;  but 
this  derangement  has  generally  ceased  within  twenty-four  hours.  If  the  contrary  should  occur,  we 
administer  one  or  two  sudorific  draughts ;  such  as  wine,  warm  cider,  or  a  half  glass  of  brandy, 
in  a  quart  of  warm  water ;  treatment  which  suffices  in  a  short  time  to  re-establish  a  healthy  state 
of  the  belly,  the  animal  at  the  same  time  being  protected  by  two  coverings  of  wool. 

"  The  operation  which  we  have  been  describing,  ought  to  be  performed  as  we  have  said  before, 
thirty  to  forty  days  after  calving,  upon  a  cow  which  has  had  her  third  or  fourth  calf,  so  that  we  may 
have  a  greater  abundance  of  milk.  The  only  precaution  to  be  observed  before  t'i.e  operation,  is, 
that  on  the  preceding  evening  we  should  not  give  so  copious  a  meal  as  usual,  and  to  operate  in  the 
morning  before  the  animal  has  fed,  so  that  the  operator  shfell  not  find  any  obstacle  from  the  primary 
digestive  organs,  especially  the  paunch,  which,  during  its  state  of  ordinary  fullness,  might  prefent 
operating  with  facility. 

CONCLUSION. 

"From  what  has  preceded,  it  is  fixed  and  irrefutable, — 1.  That  spaying  induces  permanency 
of  milk,  increase  of  quantity,  and  improvement  of  quality ;  richer,  moi'e  buttery,  superior  color, 
finer  taste  and  flavor.  2.  The  most  suitable  age  is  six  years,  and  after  the  third  or  fourth  calf. 
3.  The  spayed  cow  fattens  more  easily,  and  furnishes  beef  of  a  better  quality.  4.  Cows  that  are 
bad  breeders  nay  be  kep^  as  good  milkers,  and  the  quality  of  good  cattle  kept  up." 


TREATISE. 

ON 

MILCH    cows: 

WHEREBY 

THE  QUALITY  AND  QUANTITY  OF  MILK  WHICH  ANY  COW  WILL  GIVE 
MAY  BE  ACCURATELY  DETERMINED, 

BY 
OBSERVING  NATURAL  MARKS,  OR  EXTERNAL  INDICATIONS  ALONE  ; 

THE   LENGTH   OF    TIME  SHE   WILL    CONTINUE    TO    GIVE   MILK, 

&c.  &c. 

Er  M.  FRANCIS  GUENON,  FRANCE. 

Translated  from  the  French  of  the  Author,  for  the  Farmers'  Library, 

By  N.  P.  TR1ST,  late  U.  S.  Consul  at  Havana. 

THE  TRANSLATOR  TO  THE  READER. 

Nonsense !  Who  can  believe  any  such  thing  ?  What !  by  merely  looking  at  a 
cow,  to  be  able  to  tell  how  much  milk  she  is  capable  of  being  made  to  yield  ; 
and,  also,  how  long  she  can  continue  to  give  milk  after  being  got  with  calf! — 
to  be  able  thus  to  ascertain,  not  only  what  are  the  qualities  of  a  full  grown  cow, 
but  what  are  to  be  the  qualities  of  any  heifer-calf,  by  looking  at  her  while  yet 
but  two  or  three  months  old  !  Surely,  if  ever  there  was  a  humbug,  this  is  one. 

Softly,  Mr.  Reader  !  You  are  very  incredulous,  no  doubt,  but  I  defy  you  to  be 
more  so  than  I  was  when  in  your  present  position.  What  is  more,  I  defy  you 
to  cling  to  your  skepticism  over  an  hour  or  so.  However  strong  and  firm  it  may 
be  at  this  moment,  it  will,  in  a  1/nle  while,  have  vanished  into  nothing;  and  its 
place  will  be  filled  by  another  solid  proof  in  addition  to  the  many  you  must  al 
ready  have  stored  up,  that 

"  There  are  more  things  in  hcavi  n  and  earth  . 

Than  are  dreamt  of  in  your  philosophy." 

When  this  discovery  was  first  mentioned  to  me,  as  one  which  had  recently- 
been  published  in  France,  I  smiled  at  the  credulity  of  some  people.  My  informant, 
perceiving  what  effect  the  announcement  had  upon  me,  said,  "  It  is  so,  however ;" 
and  then,  nothing  but  politeness  toward  a  stranger,  for  the  first  time  under  my 
roof,  prevented  my  replying,  "  You  do  not  really  believe  this  to  be  possible." 

He  offered  to  send  me  the  book  ;  and,  though  I  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
throwing  away  my  time  in  reading  it,  civility  would  not  allow  me  to  decline. 
It  came,  and  I  opened  it  with  the  intention  merely  of  looking  into  it  sufficiently 
to  say  that  I  had  done  sc.  When,  however,  in  turning  the  pages  over,  I  saw 
that  this  piece  of  quackery,  as  I  felt  very  sure  the  pretended  discovery  must  be, 
had  engaged  the  attention  of  distinguished  Agricultural  Societies  in  France,  and 


had  earned  "  Gold  Medals  "  for  its  author,  in  a  country  where  they  are  not  prone 
to  be  lavish  of  such  substantial  marks  of  approbation,  rny  curiosity  was  awakened, 
and  I  had  soon  read  enough  to  bring  home  to  me  once  more,  for  the  thousandth 
time,  that  homely  old  truth,  "  We  live  to  learn." 

Since  then,  many  things  have  occurred  to  strengthen  my  confidence  in  the  re 
ality  of  this  discovery,  and  in  its  high  practical  value  to  all  interested  in  the  pre 
servation  and  improvement  of  milk  stock — and  who  is  it  that  is  not  interested  in 
its  productiveness  ?  The  most  recent  of  these  incidents  is  as  follows  : 

A  friend  to  whom  I  had  lent  the  translation  accompanied  with  the  plates  which 
are  requisite  to  make  it  intelligible,  showed  it  to  a  man  from  the  country  whose 
calling  had  rendered  him  quite  conversant  with  the  subject  of  cattle.  This  per 
son's  curiosity  was  so  far  awakened,  that,  beside  attending  to  the  explanations 
made  to  him,  he  took  a  sketch  of  some  of  the  escutcheons.  After  an  absence  of 
some  weeks,  he  returned  to  the  city  where  this  had  happened,  and  came  to  see 
my  friend.  *'  That  thing  (said  he)  is  as  true  as  a  book.  There  is  no  mistake 
about  the  matter.  Since  I  was  here,  I  have  looked  at  more  cows  than  ever  you 
saw,  and  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  the  thing  is  just  as  the  Frenchman  says. 
I  have  become  convinced,  too,  of  another  thing:  that  our  breeds  of  cattle  are  by 
no  means  the  great  things  they  are  cracked  up  to  be."  N.  P.  T. 

Washingtt  n,  City,  January,  1846. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ACCOUNT  OF  THE  DISCOVERY. 

To  give  the  history  of  my  discovery,  I  must  speak  of  myself.  My  narrative 
shall  be  succinct  and  short,  although  my  labors  have  been  protracted.  But  this 
is  a  condition  attached  to  discoveiies  generally;  we  must  meditate  long  upon 
what  an  instant  has  sufficed  to  reveal  or  suggest  to  us.  It  will  be  seen  that,  in 
my  case,  difficulties  were  always  renewing. 

I  am  the  son  of  a  gardener,  and  I  followed  for  a  long  time  this  trade  of  my 
forefathers.  Nature  had  given  me  an  observing  turn  of  mind  ;  I  was  fond  of 
bringing  things  together — of  instituting  comparisons  between  them — of  deducing 
consequences.  At  an  early  period  I  became  possessed  by  the  idea  that  I  was 
destined  to  make  some  important  discovery  in  the  branch  of  industry  which  I  fol 
lowed.  Was  this  the  suggestion  of  mere  vanity  ?  Be  it  as  it  may,  the  thought 
took  root  in  my  mind,  and  became  for  me  a  fixed  idea.  With  a  view  to  arriving 
at  this  wished-for  discovery,  I  studied  the  works  of  the  best  writers  on  Botany 
and  Agriculture  ;  I  learned  Geometry  and  the  art  of  Drawing,  so  far  as  it  seemed 
necessary  to  me.  I  followed  up  all  the  ramifications  of  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
and  applied  myself  to  the  study  of  the  external  signs  by  which  plants  and  vege 
tables  of  different  sorts  might  be  distinguished,  and  their  qualities  and  product 
iveness  might  be  known  beforehand. 

To  do  this  was  to  accomplish  a  good  deal,  no  doubt ;  but  my  mind,  still  pos 
sessed  by  the  idea  of  the  great  future  discovery,  was  never  at  rest.  I  Was,  like 
Ahasuerus,  under  the  hand  of  the  angel  ;  a  voice  within  was  constantly  crying 
out,  "  Go  on  !  "  and  I  felt  myself  impelled  forward  ;  but  I  had  no  glimpse  of  the 
goal  to  which  I  was  tending. 

Chance  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  famous  Tyrian  purple  ;  to  chance  also  is 
due  an  observation  which  was  the  germ  of  my  discovery,  and  constitutes  the  ba 
sis  of  my  method.  When  fourteen  years  of  age,  I  used,  according  to  country  cus- 


44 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 


torn,  to  drive  our  only  Cow  to  the  grazing  ground.  I  was  very  fond  of  her,  and 
could  have  identified  her  among  ever  so  many.  One  day,  as  I  was  whiling  away 
the  time  in  cleaning  and  scratching  my  poor  old  companion,  I  noticed  that  a  sort 
of  bran  or  dandruf  detached  itself  in  considerable  quantities  from  certain  spots  on 
her  hind  parts,  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  hair,  as  it  grew  in  opposite  direc 
tions  ;  which  spots  I  have  since  called  ears,  from  the  resemblance  they  often  bear 
to  the  bearded  ears  or  heads  of  wheat  or  rye.*  This  fact  attracted  my  attention, 
and  I  recollected  having  heard  one  of  my  grandfathers  say  that  it  was  probable 
there  were  external  marks  on  Cows,  whereby  their  good  qualities  or  their  defects 
might  be  known — just  as  we  judge  of  the  vital  force  of  a  plant  and  its  qualities 
by  means  of  its  leaves  and  the  lines  on  its  skin.  My  own  thoughts  now  took 
this  turn.  Reflecting  on  the  subject,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  if,  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  there  exist  external  signs,  whereby  the  good  and  the  bad 
qualities  of  a  plant  can  be  positively  known,  there  ought  to  exist  in  the  animal 
kingdom,  also,  marks  whereby  we  may  judge,  by  inspecting  an  animal,  of  its 
qualities,  good  and  bad ;  and  I  thought  that  I  had  discovered  one  of  these  signs. 

All  this,  however,  was  as  yet  but  mere  speculation — a  brilliant  theory,  which 
experience  might  belie :  it  was  necessary  to  interrogate  Nature.  The  Cow  which 
I  tended  was  a  good  milker.  I  have  already  said  that  I  knew  her  perfectly.  I 
examined  other  Cows  within  my  reach,  to  see  if  I  should  find  the  same  signs  in 
them.  I  sought  for  the  bearded  ears  (quirls),  and  scratched  those  spots  in  quest 
of  dandruf;  the  abundance  or  the  scarcity  of  this  being  what  first  engaged  my 
attention.  Every  new  Cow  was  compared  with  my  own  as  a  standard,  and  her 
superiority,  equality  or  inferiority  determined  in  my  own  mind. 

From  this  moment  I  spared  nothing  to  follow  up  my  observations  ;  no  fatigue 
was  too  great  for  me  ;  I  have  often  traveled  several  leagues  in  order  to  examine 
a  single  Cow.  What  was  my  exultation  when,  after  I  had  formed  my  judgment 
of  a  Cow,  the  questions  with  which  I  belabored  her  owner  brought  forth  answers 
that  corroborated  its  accuracy !  How  often  has  it  happened  that  people  were 
convinced  that  the  animal  whose  qualities  I  was  pronouncing  upon  must  have 
been  previously  known  to  me  !  My  secret  was  the  cause  of  astonishment  to  ma 
ny  ;  I  took  good  care  to  keep  it  to  myself. 

In  the  course  of  the  comparisons  thus  instituted  by  me,  with  reference  to  the 
dandruf  alone,  which  was  at  first  the  only  thing  that  governed  me,  I  had  occasion 
to  remark  that  great  diversities  existed  among  Cows,  in  respect  to  the  shape  of 
the  bearded  ears  (quirls)  which  produced  the  dandruf.  This  suggested  a  ne\v 
train  of  reflections  and  observations,  which  resulted  in  my  becoming  con 
vinced  that  these  shapes  were  the  signs  by  which  to  distinguish  Cows,  and  tr 
know  the  good  and  bad  qualities  of  every  individual  among  them.  From  tha' 
moment  my  discovery  was  made  ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  digest  it  into  a  systecr 
— above  all,  to  establish  its  accuracy  in  all  its  parts,  by  proofs  which  should  car* 
ry  my  own  conviction  into  the  minds  of  others.  It  was  here  that  all  my  courage 
and  perseverance  was  put  in  requisition. 

It  did  not  suffice  to  have  discovered  signs  that  were  characteristic  of  different 
sorts  of  Cows  ;  it  was  necessary  to  make  sure  that  the  same  mark  might  alwayfe 
be  relied  upon  as  a  positive  and  certain  sign  of  the  same  perfection  or  defect. — 

*  These  marks  arc,  in  some  parts  of  our  country,  celled  quirls.  Their  occurrence  in  horses  (particularly 
on  the  neck,  under  the  man« )  is  well  known  to  be  a  sign  of  blood.  This  is  a  remarkable  coincidence ;  and 
it  seems  far  from  impt  obable  that  the  discovery  made  by  the  author  in  regard  to  neat  cattle  will  lead  to  sim 
ilar  disc-verico  respecting  other  domestic  animals.  [American  Translator. 


TREATISE   ON   MILCH  COWS.  45   i 

This  could  not  be  effected  except  by  studying  a  vast  number  of  individuals — by  < 
comparing  them  together — taking  into  consideration  the  countries  from  which  | 
they  came— their  stature— their  yield.  This  was  not  all :  they  had  to  be  classed. 
Conceive  what  toil  this  task  involved  for  me,  a  plain  child  of  Nature,  who  had 
no  idea  of  such  a  classification,  and  found  myself  under  the  necessity  of  establish 
ing  one.  The  endeavor  was  one  to  absorb  me  entirely  ;  I  gave  up  my  calling  ; 
I  traveled  about,  visiting  cattle  markets,  fairs,  cow-stables ;  I  questioned  and 
cross-questioned  all  who  might  be  expected  to  know  most  on  the  subject — hus 
bandmen,  dealers  in  cattle,  men  of  the  veterinary  profession  ;  I  became  convinced 
that  my  discovery  had  not  been  anticipated  by  any  one.  The  marks  for  distin 
guishing  a  good  Cow  from  a  bad  one  varied  according  to  the  notions  of  each  indi- 
viclual.  Some  looked  to  the  shape  of  the  horns — others  upon  that  of  the  udder  ; 
some  judged  by  the  shape  of  the  animal,  or  the  color  .of  her  hair — others  were 
determined  in  their  choice  by  something  else.  But,  in  these  various  modes  of 
judging,  all  was  vague  and  uncertain.  I  became  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  I 
had  made  the  important  discovery  of  signs  that  were  positive  and  certain  ;  and, 
in  order  the  better  to  satisfy  myself  of  the  solidity  of  the  ground  upon  which  my 
method  was  to  rest,  I  took  the  precaution  to  return  to  the  same  localities  at  dif 
ferent  times  and  seasons,  that  I  might  trace  and  ascertain  the  effects  which  might 
attend  these  variations  of  Nature.  All  my  observations  were  accurately  noted 
down  ;  and  I  could  at  length  flatter  myself  with  having  acquired  a  mass  of  facts 
which  gave  solidity  and  consistence  to  my  system,  and  imparted  the  character  of 
positive  certainty  to  that  which  at  first  had  been  but  a  probable  conjecture. 

In  1822,  I  began  to  deal  in  cattle  on  my  own  account.  This  trade  brought  un 
der  my  eyes  a  great  number  and  variety  of  Cows  from  all  quarters — from  Switz 
erland,  Holland,  Brittany,  Poitou,  &c.  &c.  ;  and  I  had  better  opportunities  than 
before  for  thoroughly  examining  the  marks  of  these  different  races.  My  obser 
vations  were  multiplied,  and  I  became  convinced  anew  that  all  individuals  pos 
sessing  the  same  marks  belonged  to  the  same  family,  whatever  might  be  the 
country  of  their  birth  ;  that  these  marks  were  an  infallible  indication  of  the  same 
degree  of  superiority  or  inferiority ;  in  a  word,  that  Nature,  always  consistent 
with  herself,  acted,  at  all  times  and  places,  in  the  same  way,  and  was  always 
governed  by  the  same  laws. 

For  between  seven  and  eight  years,  I  had  been  incessantly  engaged  in  estab 
lishing  order  among  my  observations,  and  arranging  the  results  into  one  consist-  \ 
ent  whole.  I  established  a  classification,  founded  upon  the  shape  or  outline  oi 
the  different  marks  :  Cows  were  first  divided  into  classes  or  families  ;  then,  in 
each  of  these  classes,  there  was  a  threefold  division,  according  to  size — the  tall 
or  high,  the  medium,  and  the  low  ;  finally,  each  class  was  subdivided  into  orders, 
according  to  the  diminution  and  the  deformity  of  the  distinctive  mark  of  the  class, 
as  found  in  the  different  individuals  belonging  to  it.  This  task  was  an  immense 
one  for  me,  and  cost  me  a  degree  of  trouble  and  an  expenditure  of  time,  of  which 
a  conception  may  be  formed  by  considering  how  many  comparisons  and  combina 
tions  were  necessary  to  a  person  so  unversed  in  scientific  methods,  before  my  ma 
terials  could  be  reduced  to  order,  and  I  could  form  a  distinct  and  precise  idea  of 
my  own  discovery. 

These  difficulties,  which  might  have  disheartened  any  other  person,  did  not 
discourage  me.  A  system  was  to  be  created,  and  I  created  it.  In  1828,  I  ad 
dressed  to  the  Academy  of  Bordeaux  a  request,  having  for  its  object  that  my 
method  should  be  examined  and  reported  upon.  I  was  not  yet  willing  to  disclose 


46  TREATISE   O.N   311L.UII    COWS. 

my  secret  entirely  ;  my  object  was  to  get  the  reality  of  my  discovery  and  its  re 
sults  attested  to.  The  Academy,  without  adopting  my  conclusions,  did  neverthe 
less  make  honorable  mention  of  me,  at  its  sitting  of  the  3d  of  June  following,  in 
these  terms : 

"  M.  Francis  Guenon,  of  Libournc,  possessor  of  a  method  which  he  deems  infallible  for  judg 
ing,  by  mere  visual  examination,  of  the  goodness  of  Milch  Cows,  and  the  quantity  of  milk  which 
each  can  yield,  has  solicited  the  Academy  to  cause  the  efficaciousness  of  this  method  to  be  tested 
by  repeated  experiments.  The  case  presented  by  this  request  was  one  of  a  secret  method  of 
judging,  which  the  possessor  was  not  willing  to  reveal.  On  the  other  hand,  it  seemed  difficult  to 
admit  that  the  external  signs,  whatever  they  might  be.  by  which  M.  Guenon  judges,  could  al 
ways  bear  a  proportional  relation  to  the  quantity  of  milk  yielded  by  a  Cow.  Nevertheless,  the 
Academy  deemed  it  proper  to  appoint  a  Committee  charged  with  making  the  examination. 

"Trials  have  been  made,  with  the  care  and  under  the  precautions  necessary  for  precluding  all 
collusion.  The  Cows  used  for  the  purpose  belonged  to  three  different  herds,  and  amounted  tc 
thirty  in  number ,  and  the  result  has  been  to  establish,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Committee,  that 
M.  Guenon  really  possesses  great  sagacity  in  this  line.  So  long,  however,  as  his  method  shall  be 
kept  secret,  it  cannot  be  judged  of  nor  rewarded  by  the  Academy. 

"  Governed  by  these  considerations,  the  Academy,  having  ascertained  from  M.  Guenon  that  he 
is  willing  to  submit  to  every  test  that  may  be  proposed,  and  to  disclose  his  secret  upon  receiving 
a  just  indemnity,  has  referred  him  to  the  Prefect,  and  has  engaged  to  recommend  him  to  the  fa 
vorable  notice  of  that  magistrate,  who  is  ever  disposed  to  promote  all  that  tends  to  improvement." 

Here  the  matter  rested  at  that  time.  I  did  not  then  make  up  my  mind  to  give 
my  secret  to  the  public  ;  but  I  persevered  in  my  observations  and  experiments, 
ia  order  to  perfect  \ny  discovery.  In  1837,  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Eordeaux 
determined  to  ascertain  for  itself  what  reality  there  might  be  in  my  system. — 
The  result  surpassed  its  expectation  ;  the  experiments  made,  in  presence  of  the 
Committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  certainty  of  my 
method.  Here  are  the  terms  in  which  the  Committee  expressed  themselves  in 
their  report : 

AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY  OF  BORDEAUX. 

GUExNfON  DISCOVERY. . . .  MILCH  COWS. 
Report  to  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Bordeaux, 

Gentlemen:  The  Committee  appointed  by  you  to  examine  into  the  discoveries  of  M.  Francis 
Guenon.  of  Libourne,  have  the  honor  to  submit  to  you  the  result  of  their  investigations. 

M.  Guenon  has  established  a  natural  method,  by  means  of  which  it  is  easy  to  recognize  and 
class  the  different  kinds  of  Milch  Cows,  according  to 

1st.  The  quantity  of  milk  which,  they  can  yield  daily. 

2d.  The  period  during  which  they  will  continue  to  give  milk. 

3d.   The  quality  of  their  milk. 

Down  to  the  present  day,  Gentlemen,  the  writers  and  professors  who  have  the  most  particu 
larly  occupied  themselves  with  the  bovine  race  have  been  unable  to  do  anything  more  than  indi 
cate  some  vague  signs  for  judging  of  the  fitness  of  Cows  for  accreting  milk. 

After  more  than  twenty  years  of  observations  and  researches,  M.  Guenon  has  succeeded  at 
k-ngth  in  discovering  certain  natural  and  positive  signs,  which  constitute  the  basis  of  his  method  ; 
a  method  henceforward  proof  against  all  error. 

Sensible  of  the  necessity  that  your  Committee  should  be  fully  convinced,  and  that  they  could 
not  but  look  with  some  degree  of  distrust  upon  any  results  of  the  proposed  trials  of  his  method, 
uiiless  they  should  know  that  those  results  rested  upon  tangible  facts,  and  were  nowise  depend 
ent  upon  guesswork,  M.  Guenon  began  by  imparting  his  secret  to  your  Committee,  and  making 
them  fully  acquainted  with  the  positive  signs  upon  which  he  has  founded  his  method.  By  means 
of  the.se  signs,  which  are  all  external  and  apparent,  he  has  established  eight  classes  or  families, 
which  embrace  all  the  varieties  of  the  Cow  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  different  parts  of  this 
kingdom.  Each  of  these  classes  or  families  is  subdivided  into  eight  orders.  It  is  divided,  also, 
into  three  sectiens,  so  that  each  of  the  sections  comprehends  the  eight  orders  ;  this  last  divisio* 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS.  47 

having  reference  merely  to  the  size  of  the  Cows,  and  serving  to  distinguish  annuals  which, 
being  the  same  in  respect  to  the  characteristic  signs  that  serve  to  fix  the  class  and  the  order  to 
which  they  belong,  differ  in  hight  alone,  and  in  their  yield  so  far  only  as  this  is  dependent  upon 
size. 

By  means  of  this  classification,  which  is  no  less  clear  and  distinct  than  simple,  we  are  enabled, 

1st.  To  distinguish  with  ease,  in  any  herd  of  Cows,  each  individual  comprised  in  it,  according  to 
tne  quantity  of -milk  which  she  is  capable  of  yielding — from  twenty-six  quarts  a  day  down  to  next 
to  nothing,  and  all  intermediate  quantities. 

2d.  To  know  the  qualities  of  the  milk  which  each  will  give,  as  being  creamy  or  serous. 

3d.  To  determine  during  what  time,  after  being  got  with  calf,  the  Cow  will  continue  to  give 
milk. . 

This  method — so  precious,  from  the  application  of  which  it  is  susceptible,  whether  we  be  con 
cerned  in  the  yield  of  milk  only,  or  whether  we  avail  ourselves  of  it  for  the  improvement  of  breeds, 
which  are  constantly  liable  to  deterioration  from  mismanagement  in  crossing — acquires  a  new  in 
terest  when  we  consider  that  it  is  applicable,  not  to  full  grown  animals  alone,  but  also  to  calves  at 
so  early  an  age  as  three  months.  Thus,  on  the  one  hand,  it  affords  the  means  of  forming  a  sure 
judgment  of  full  grown  animals,  in  regard  to  which  we  are  often  misled,  by  their  form  and  their 
parentage,  to  entertain  great  expectations  which  are  never  realized ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  se 
cures  the  improvement  of  herds,  by  enabling  us  to  dispose  at  once  of  those  calves  which  can  nev 
er  repay  the  trouble  and  cost  of  rearing  them. 

This  important  end,  hitherto  so  vainly  aimed  at,  had  it  at  length  been  attained  ?  To  ascertain 
this  point  is  the  duty  with  which  your  Committee  were  charged.  The  method  of  M.  Gue'non 
having  been  revealed  to  them,  it  remained  to  ascertain  how  far  the  essential  signs  upon  which  it 
rests  might  be  susceptible  of  rigorous  application. 

With  this  view  they  passed  several  days  in  visiting  a  number  of  pasture  fields,  situated  in  local 
ities  that  differed  from  each  other,  in  order  that  the  experiments  might  be  made  upon  animals  of 
different  breeds,  and  under  varying  circumstances.  They  deem  it  proper  to  enter  here  into  some 
details  respecting  their  mode  of  proceeding,  persuaded  that  you  will  thereby  be  the  better  enabled 
to  understand  and  appreciate  the  merits  of  this  method,  and  to  form  a  correct  judgment  of  the  ex 
tent  to  which  your  protection  is  due  to  a  discovery,  which  is  submitted  to  you  by  the  author  with 
the  greater  confidence,  because  it  bears  directly  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  agriculturist. 

Every  Cow  subjected  to  examination  was  separated  from  the  rest.  What  M.  Guenon  had  to 
say, in  regard  to  her  was  taken  down  in  writing  by  one  of  the  Committee  ;  and  immediately  after 
the  proprietor,  who  had  kept  at  a  distance,  was  interrogated,  and  such  questions  put  to  him  as 
would  tend  to  confirm  or  disprove  the  judgment  pronounced  by  M.  Guenon.  In  this  way  we 
have  examined,  in  the  most  careful  manner — note  being  taken  of  every  fact  and  every  observation 
made  by  any  one  present — upward  of  sixty  Cows  and  Heifers ;  and  we  are  bound  to  declare 
that  every  statement  made  by  M.  Guenon  with  respect  to  each  of  them,  whether  it  regarded  the 
quantity  of  milk,  or  the  time  during  which  the  Cow  continued  to  give  milk  after  being  got  with 
calf,  or,  finally,  the  quality  of  the  milk  as  being  more  or  less  creamy  or  serous,  was  confirmed,  and 
its  accuracy  fully  established.  The  only  discrepancies  which  occurred  were  some  slight  differ 
ences  in  regard  to  the  quantity  of  milk ;  but  these,  as  we  afterward  fully  satisfied  ourselves, 
were  caused  entirely  by  the  food  of  the  animal  being  more  or  less  abundant. 

The  results  of  this  first  test  seemed  conclusive ;  but  they  acquired  new  force  from  those  of  a  sec 
ond  trial,  in  which  the  method  was  subjected  to  another  test,  through  M.  Guenon  and  his  brother. 
Your  Committee,  availing  themselves  of  the  presence  of  the  latter,  caused  the  same  Cows  to  be 
examined  by  the  two  brothers,  but  separately ;  so  that,  after  a  Cow  had  been  inspected,  and  her 
qualities,  as  indicated  by  the  signs  in  question,  had  been  pronounced  upon  by  one  of  the  brothers, 
lie  was  made  to  withdraw  ;  then  the  other  brother,  who  had  kept  aloof,  was  called  up,  and  desired 
to  state  the  qualities  of  the  same  animal.  This  mode  of  proceeding  could  not  fail  to  give  rise  to 
differences — to  contradictions,  even — between  the  judgments  of  .the  two  brothers,  unless  their 
method  was  a  positive  and  sure  one.  Well !  Gentlemen,  we  must  say  it — this  last  test  was  abso 
lutely  decisive  :  not  only  did  the  various  judgments  of  the  two  brothers  accord  perfectly  together, 
but  they  were  in  perfect  accordance,  also,  with  all  that  was  said  by  the  proprietors  in  regard  to 
the  qualities,  good  and  bad,  of  every  animal  subjected  to  this  examination. 

To  the  proprietors  and  to  the  bystanders,  all  this  was  the  more  surprising,  from  me  fact  that  the 
examination  waa  no  less  prompt  than  its  results  were  certain.  It  was,  however,  easy  to  perceive 
that  they,  ignorant  as  they  were  of  the  nature  of  the  discovery,  had  but  little  confidence  in  it;  ind 
that  they  ascribed  the  cunning  of  M.  Guenon  simply  to  a  great  practical  familiarity  with  Cows. 


1 


48  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 

As  to  ourselves — for  whom,  as  we  have  already  informed  you,  Gentlemen,  the  method  was  no  long 
er  a  secret — it  was  with  constantly  renewing  feelings  of  interest  and  astonishment  that  we  fol 
lowed  up  these  examinations  and  contemplated  the  accuracy  of  their  results.  Two  member* 
particularly  of  the  Committee,  whom  their  special  pursuits  and  their  physiological  knowledge  n( 
domestic  animals  entitle  to  great  confidence,  had,  from  the  very  first  examination,  been  struck 
with  the  truth  and  strength  of  the  system,  the  successful  applications  of  which  were  multiplying 
under  onr  eyes.  This  system,  Gentlemen,  we  do  not  fear  to  say  it,  is  infallible.  The  signs  up'oa 
which  it  is  founded,  ever  constant,  invariable  in  the  place  which  they  occupy,  are  strongly  impress 
ed  upon  the  animal  by  the  hand  of  Nature.  To  appreciate  them  becomes  an  easy  task  ;  all  tlw 
is  requisite  being,  after  having  examined  the  animal  and  ascertained  what  marks  she  bears,  to  e:v- 
amine  the  drawings  and  fix  upon  the  one  in  which  those  same  marks  appear.  Then,  by  mean.* 
of  a  brief  but  precise  explanation  which  refers  to  that  drawing,  the  qualities  of  the  animal  undur 
examination  become  known,  and  the  class  and  order  to  which  she  naturally  belongs  are  indicate/!. 
It  is  by  proceeding  thus— by  examining,  first,  the  marks  upon  the  animal,  and  then  seeking  among 
the  drawings  for  the  one  in  which  those  marks  were  reproduced — that  the  members  of  your  Com 
mittee,  after  witnessing  the  first  experiment,  have  been  able  themselves  to  apply  the  system,  ano 
to  form  judgments  which  were  afterward  corroborated  in  the  same  way  that  those  of  M.  G.ueuou 
were. 

In  the  hight  of  our  admiration,  Gentlemen,  it  was  a  subject  of  lively  regret  that  the  whole  Soci 
ety  were  not  present ;  but  we  have  the  consolation  of  hoping  that  each  of  you  will  soon  experi 
ence  the  pleasure  which  we  have  enjoyed,  and  have  it  in;his  power  to  apply  this  discovery  to  his 
own  use  and  benefit.  M.  Guenon  is  not  disposed  to  keep  it  secret ;  he  proposes,  so  soon  as  a  list 
of  three  thousand  subscribers  shall  have  been  filled,  to  publish  a  work,  in  which  his  system,  com 
pletely  developed,  shall  be  placed  in  the  strongest  light.  The  distinctive  signs  of  each  class  and 
each  order  will  be  exactly  described,  and  accurately  represented  by  engraved  or  lithographic 
drawings ;  and  the  quantity  of  milk  which  each  description  of  Cow  is  capable  of  yielding  will  be 
stated. 

By  means  of  this  faithful  guide,  which  is  within  the  capacity  of  every  understanding,  errors 
will  be  dispelled,  and  the  ability  to  form  correct  judgments  of  Cows  will  become  common  to  all 
classes  o  husbandmen.  Before  long,  none  but  Cows  and  Bulls  of  the  first  order  will  be  used  to 
breed  from ;  this  race  of  animals,  which  has  become  degenerate  through  bad  crosses,  will  be  ele 
vated  ;  and,  as  in  other  species  of  domestic  animals,  individuals  of  pure  blood  will  be  readily  ob 
tainable.  Then,  guided  by  sure  and  positive  knowledge  respecting  the  future  qualities  of  young 
Cattle,  we  shall  no  longer  rear,  at  great  expense  for  three  or  four  years,  a  Calf  whose  secretion  ol 
milk  can  never  bo  otherwise  than  small  in  quantity  and  poor  in  quality  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  shall  no  longer  blindly  consign  to  the  butcher,  young  animals  that  would  repay  all  the  care 
that  could  be  bestowed  upon  them. 

These  considerations  will,  we  feel  persuaded,  Gentlemen,  determine  you  to  encourage  M.  Gue 
non  to  the  publication  and  dissemination  of  a  method  which  promises  to  be  so  useful  to  the  agri 
culturist.  How  many  poor  families,  in  the  neighborhood  of  large  cities,  where  there  is  always  a 
great  consumption  of  milk,  find  in  a  small  number  of  Cows  the  means  of  their  subsistence  !  How 
extensive  a  branch  of  trade  is  supported  by  the  production  of  butter  and  cheese  in  many  of  our 
Provinces Brittany,  Normandy,  the  Pyrenees,  and  others  !  Holland  and  Switzerland,  those  coun 
tries  of  fine  pastures,  are  they  not  indebted  to  this  branch  of  husbandry  for  a  prosperity  which  is 
ever  reproducing  itself,  and  never  wearing  out — a  prosperity  less  rapid,  less  brilliant,  perhaps, 
than  that  which  results  from  adventurous  traffic,  but  safer  at  least  for  those  who  depend  upon  it ; 
which  is  never  deceptive ;  which,  more  than  any  other,  attaches  man  to  his  country,  and  favors 
morality,  and  seems  sheltered  from  those  political  tempests  which,  in  other  lands,  so  often  prostrate 

the  tallest  fortunes. 

[Signed]  GUICHENET,  Veterinary  Professor  of  the  Department. 

LECONTE. 
F.  PELISSIER. 

After  the  reading  of  this  Report,  the  Society  decreed  as  follows : 
1st.  That  a  gold  medal  be  awarded  to  M.  Francis  Guenon. 
2d.  That  he  be  proclaimed  a  Member  of  this  Society. 
3d.  That  fifty  copies  of  his  work  on  Milch  Cows  be  subscribed  for. 

4th.  That  a  thousand  copies  of  the  Report  be  printed  for  distribution  among  the  Agricultural 
Societies  of  France. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS.  49 

The  foregoing'  proceedings  took  place  at  the  General  Meeting  of  the  Society,  at  the  House  of 
the  Prefecture,  on  the  4th  of  July. 

A  true  extract. 

[Signed]  RICHIER,  Secretary  General  of  the  Society. 


AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY  OF  AURILLAC. 

At  its  General  Meeting  of  the  26th  May,  the  following  Report  was  pre 
sented  and  read  on  the  subject  of  the  experiments  which  I  had  been  called  upon 
to  make : 

Report. 

Gentlemen :  M.  Francis  Guenon,  a  husbandman  of  Libourne,  has  established  a  method,  deem 
ed  by  him  infaUible,  by  means  of  which,  upon  a  mere  inspection  of  any  Milch  Cow,  she  may  be 
judged  of,  and  we  may  know  the  quality  of  her  milk,  the  quantity  of  it  which  she  is  capable  of 
yielding,  and  abo  the  time  during  which  she  can  give  milk. 

A  Committee  appointed  by  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Bordeaux,  and  composed  of  several  well 
informed  agriculturists,  and  of  a  very  distinguished  Professor  of  the  Veterinary  art  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  Gironde,  had  already  borne  testimony,  after  putting  it  to  numerous  tests,  to  the  efficacious 
ness  of  the  system  of  M.  Guenon;  and  the  result  of  its  observations  had  been  published  in  a  very 
remarkable  Report,  addressed  to  all  the  Agricultural  Societies  of  France. 

Your  Society,  considering  that  this  discovery  might  be  of  high  importance  to  our  country,  which 
derives  its  income  chiefly  from  the  product  of  Milch  Cows,  entered  into  correspondence  with  its 
author,  and  gladly  accepted  his  obliging  offer  to  come  to  Auvergne  and  subject  his  method  to  the 
test  of  experiment. 

Yesterday,  the  25th  of  May,  M.  Guenon  arrived  at  Aurillac,  and  immediately  proceeded  with 
the  members  of  your  Committee  to  the  Veyrac  farm,  belonging  to  the  President  of  the  Society. — 
He  examined  with  the  utmost  care  the  fine  cow  stable  of  that  domain,  which  embraces  one  hun 
dred  Cows,  of  the  best  varieties  that  we  possess.  He  then  began  his  experiments  upon  a  number 
of  Cows  which  were  presented  to  him,  and  which  had  designedly  been  selected  from  among  the 
best,  the  moderately  good,  and  the  most  indifferent  of  the  establishment.  Upon  each  of  these  sep 
arately,  M.  Guenon  pronounced  with  precision,  both  in  regard  to  her  daily  yield  of  milk,  and  to 
the  time  during  which  she  continued  to  give  milk  after  being  got  with  calf.  We  must  acknow 
ledge,  Gentlemen,  that  his  decisions  corresponded  almost  invariably  with  the  statements  obtained 
from  the  persons  in  whose  charge  the  Cows  are.  The  only  variances  we  had  to  notice  were  some 
very  slight  ones  in  regard  to  the  quantity  of  milk.  On  this  point,  we  must  call  your  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  Cows  of  that  establishment  are  always  fed  high,  upon  clover  or  other  artificial 
grasses  which  considerably  augment  the  quantity  of  milk ;  and  that  this  may  have  caused  the  mis 
take  of  M.  Guenon,  which  consisted  in  his  pronouncing  the  yield  to  be  a  little  less  than  it  really  is. 
It  is  to  be  remarked  that  he  was  totally  unacquainted  with  the  usages  of  the  country  in  regard  to 
the  feeding  of  Cattle. 

In  order  thoroughly  to  convince  your  Committee  of  the  reality  of  the  discovery,  M.  Guenon 
made  us  acquainted  with  the  different  signs  upon  which  his  method  rests.  With  reference  to 
these  signs,  which  are  external  and  apparent,  and  stamped  by  the  hand  of  Nature  upon  each  ani 
mal,  he  has  established  eight  classes  or  families,  that  comprehend  all  the  varieties  of  the  Cow  found 
in  the  various  Provinces  of  France.  Each  class  is  divided  into  eight  orders  ;  r^nd  each  of  these 
orders  into  three  sections,  according  to  size,  as  being  high,  of  medium  bight,  and  low. 

According  to  the  numerous  observations  of  the  author,  all  Cows  belong  to  some  one  of  these 
classes  or  families,  and  take  their  place  under  some  one  of  the  eight  orders  of  the  class.  Each 
class  possesses  marks  differing  in  shape  and  size  from  those  of  the  other  classes ;  and  these  marks 
are  easy  to  distinguish,  on  merely  looking  at  them.  In  each  class,  the  Cows  of  the  first  orders  are 
the  best  of  the  class,  and  the  yield  of  milk  is  in  proportion  to  the  order ;  so  that  the  two  higher  or 
ders  are  the  most  productive,  the  third  and  fourth  orders  tolerably  good,  and  the  others  falling  off 
more  and  more,  according  to  their  grade. 

M.  Guenon  applied  his  system,  in  our  presence,  to  a  number  of  Cows  which  were  presented  to 
him  a  second  time  ;  he  made  us  remark  their  various  signs,  which  differed  in  size  and  shape.,  and 
were  larger  or  smaller  according  as  the  Cow  was  a  good  or  a  bad  milker.  He  informed  us  that 
his  system  is  equally  applicable  to  young  animals,  and  that  their  future  qualities  in  regard  to  the 
4 


50  TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS. 

production  of  milk  can  be  judged  of  with  equal  certainty.  Tn  corroboration  of  this,  he  caused  us 
to  notice  the  same  signs  upon  Calves  three  or  four  months  old,  and  also  upon  Bulls  destined  for 
the  next  covering;  season.  The  cowherds  stated  that  the  Calves  which  had  been  assigned  by  him 
to  the  first  orders  were  from  Cows  that  gave  a  great  deal  of  milk.  Upon  two  splendid  Bulls,  of 
the  fine  breed  of  SALERS,  which  were  of  the  same  age,  and  exactly  alike  in  hair  and  size,  M.  Gue- 
non  passed  very  different  judgments :  the  one  he  pronounced  good,  and  assigned  to  the  first  order 
of  his  Flanders  class;  the  other  he  pronounced  bad,  and  assigned  to  the  fifth  order  of  his  Hori 
zontal  class.*  He  justified  these  judgments  by  very  precise  comparisons,  and  made  us  remark 
the  difference  that  existed  in  the  signs  of  the  two  animals. 

This  day,  the  26th  of  May,  M.  Guenon  has  made  new  experiments  at  the  Cattle  Fair  of  the  town 
of  Aurillac,  in  presence  of  several  members  of  the  Central  Agricultural  Society  and  of  the  Sub- 
Societies,  and  of  a  great  number  of  land-owners  and  agriculturists  of  Cantal  and  the  neighboring 
Departments.  The  following  is  the  manner  in  which  your  Committee  have  thought  proper  to 
proceed.  Each  Cow  was  examined  separately  by  M.  Guenon,  who  wrote  his  notes  upon  her, 
and  delivered  the  paper,  closed,  to  one  of  us.  Immediately  after,  another  member  of  the  Commit 
tee  questioned  the  owner  of  the  Cow,  or  the  person  in  charge  of  her,  in  regard  to  her  daily  yield 
of  milk,  its  quality,  and  the  time  during  which  she  continued  to  give  milk  after  being  got  with 
calf.  The  answers  were  taken  down  in  writing,  and  then  compared  with  the  notes  written  by 
M.  Guenon.  They  were  generally  found  to  accord,  and  proved,  to  the  satisfaction  of  your  Com 
mittee  and  of  every  one  present — all  of  whom  attended  with  lively  interest  to  these  proceedings — 
that  M.  Guenon  possesses  great  sagacity  in  judging  of  Cattle,  and  that  his  method  rests  upon  a 
sure  foundation. 

An  incident  occurred  to  confirm  us  in  this  opinion.  A  farmer  played  the  trick  of  bringing  up 
for  examination  a  Cow  that  had  already  been  examined  and  pronounced  upon.  The  notes  writ 
ten  by  M.  Guenon  on  this  occasion  accorded  exactly,  in  every  respect,  with  those  he  had  written 
on  the  former. 

The  method  of  M.  Guenon  has  not  the  merit  of  being  a  brilliant  theory.  It  rests  upon  facts  and 
Icng  experience.  It  is  only  after  repeated  trials,  and  twenty -five  years  of  toilsome  researches, 
that  its  author  has  accomplished  the  task  of  establishing  it. 

We  are  of  opinion,  Gentlemen,  that  M.  Guenon  ought  to  be  encouraged  by  you  in  the  publica 
tion  of  a  system  which  appears  to  us  destined  to  exercise  a  happy  influence  on  the  advancement 
of  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  rural  economy.  What  immense  advantages  may  there 
not  result,  particularly  in  Auvergne,  where  the  raising  of  Cattle  and  the  manufacture  of  cheese 
constitute  the  chief  branch  of  industry,  from  a  method  which  should  enable  us  to  distinguish,  in  a 
sure  way,  between  good  and  bad  Cows?  By  applying  this  system  to  Calves  and  to  Bulls,  our 
stock  would  rapidly  be  raised  to  a  high  point  of  excellence,  and  we  should  soon  have  in  our 
mountains  none  but  Cows  of  the  best  kind. 

In  view  of  all  these  considerations,  your  Committee  have  the  honor  to  propose — 

1st.   That  there  be  awarded  to  M.  Gutnon  a  gold  medal,  with  ilic  effigy  of  OLIVIER  de  SERRES. 

2d.   That  he  be  proclaimed  a  Corresponding  member  of  the  Society. 

3d.  To  subscribe  for  ticenty-Jive  copies  of  his  work,  for  distribution  among  the  Sub- Societies 
of  the  department. 

4th.  To  cause  this  Report  to  be  inserted  in  the  AGRICULTURAL  PROPAGATOR,  and  to  transmit 
a  copy  to  all  the  Prefects  and  Agricultural  Societies  of  France. 

[Signed]  COUNT  SAIGNES, 

G.  DE  LALAUBIE, 
GENERAL  BARON  HUGONET, 
V.  DE  PRUINES,  Reporter  of  the  Committee. 

Note. — At  the  same  sitting,  the  recommendations  of  the  Committee  were  adopted  by  the  Central  Society 
of  Agriculture  of  Cantal. 

With  this  iiighly  flattering  testimony  in  hand,  I  now  come  forward  to  publish 
the  result  of  my  silent  meditations  and  toilsome  studies.  Every  one  will  be  able, 
with  the  aid  of  the  lithographic  drawings  attached  to  the  work,  readily  to  recog 
nize  the  distinctive  marks  of  the  animal  examined  by  him.  These  marks  are 
visible  upon  the  posterior  part  of  every  Cow,  in  the  space  embraced  between  the 

*  S&)  the  names  of  the  several  classes,  in  the  chapter  On  the  different  kinds  of  COKS. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  51 


udder  and  the  vulva.  They  consist  of  a  kind  of  escutcheons  of  various  shapes 
and  sizes,  formed  by  the  hair  growing  in  different  directions,  and  bounded  by 
lines  where  these  different  growths  of  hair  meet.  The  varieties  of  these  escutch 
eons  mark  the  different  classes  and  orders  of  Cows. 

It  is  upon  these  signs  that  every  one  may  rest  his  judgment,  by  attending  to  the 
remarks  contained  m  the  body  of  the  work  upon  the  different  kinds  of  Cows. — 
They  are  what  every  body  has  seen,  or  been  able  to  see ;  but  what  no  one  has 
attended  to.  For  myself,  I  have  persevered  through  all  obstacles  :  neither  fruit 
less  expenses,  which  were  enormous  for  one  of  my  means  ;  nor  the  malice  of  the 
malevolent;  nor  the  cold  reception  of  the  indifferent ;  nor  the  smile  of  increduli 
ty  ;  nothing  has  been  able  to  damp  my  zeal.  Strong  in  my  conviction,  I  have 
been  sustained  by  it  through  all  my  trials  ;  and  it  has  always  raised  me  up  when 
all  conspired  to  depress  me. 


CHAPTER  E. 

ON  THE  DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  COWS. 
§  1,  Genuine  Cows, 

I  HAVE,  as  I  said,  established  a  classification  of  Cows  ;  and  the  reader  will  have 
become  aware  how  much  time  it  must  have  cost  me  to  arrive  at  this  classifica 
tion.  Neither  the  language  of  Science  nor  its  method  is  to  be  expected  in  my 
work  :  I  have  had  no  other  instructor  than  myself,  and  Nature  has  been  my  only 
book.  I  am  not  pretending  to  write  a  treatise  of  Natural  History;  I  am  only  giv 
ing  to  the  public  the  result  of  my  experience  and  observation.  The  suggestions 
of  my  own  mind  at  the  different  stages  of  my  discovery  have  been  my  only  guides. 
In  following  up  my  observations,  it  was  requisite  that  order  should  be  establish 
ed  among  the  facts  noticed  by  me  and  the  thoughts  to  which  they  gave  rise.  To 
designate  the  various  figures  of  the  escutcheons  of  the  several  classes,  new  names 
were  necessary.  This  order  and  this  nomenclature  are  of  my  own  invention. — 
For  the  purpose  of  coining  French  names,  I  have  not  ransacked  Greek  or  Latin 
vocabularies  ;  I  have  adopted  those  which  suggested  themselves  as  naturally  ex 
pressive.  If  they  be  not  formed  after  the  rules  of  etymology,  they  are  at  least 
such  as  every  one  can  seize  the  meaning  of;  and  my  book  being  destined  chiefly 
for  that  class  of  men  who  are  for  the  most  part  strangers  to  belles-lettres,  it  will 
possess  in  their  eyes  the  merit  of  not  disguising  things  under  the  words  used  to 
dignify  them. 

I  divide  Cows  into  Eight  CLASSES  or  families ;  and  these  classes  each  into  eight 
ORDERS.  In  each  class,  I  distinguish  three  different  SIZES  ;  the  High,  the  Low 
and  the  Medium.  This  classification  embraces  all  kinds  of  Cows  known  to  me  ; 
every  individual  being  assignable  to  some  one  of  these  eight  classes,  and  to  some 
one  of  the  orders  comprised  in  it.  According  to  the  Class,  the  Order,  and  the  Size 
of  an  animal,  is  her  yield  of  milk:  this  being  always  found  to  correspond  with 
the  escutcheon  characteristic  of  each  class  ;  some  one  of  which  escutcheons,  is 
recognized  in  every  Cow,  more  or  less  perfectly  defined  and  free  from  blemish, 
according  to  the  degree  in  which  she  approaches  to  the  perfection  of  her  class. 
This  mark  consists,  as  I  have  said,  of  the  figure,  on  the  posterior  parts  of  the  an 
imal,  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  hair  that  grows  or  points  in  different  direc-  ( 

*>•»«/ 


52  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 

lions  ;  the  line  of  junction  of  these  different  growths  of  hair  constituting  the  out 
line  of  the  figure  or  escutcheon.     Here  are  the  names  of  the  eight  classes : 

1st  Class.... THE  FLANDERS  COW.  5th  Class.... THE  DEMIJOHN  COW. 

2d      "     "      SELVAGE  COW.  6th     "     ....     "      SQUARE  SCUTCHEON  COW. 

3d      «...."      CURVELINE  COW.  7th     "     ....    «      LIMOUSINE  COW. 

4th      »    ....    "      BICORN  COW.  8th     '«     ....    "      HORIZONTAL  CUT  COW. 

By  means  of  the  following  description  of  the  several  Classes  and  Orders,  aided 
by  the  engraved  prints  attached  to  the  work,  every  person  can  assign  any  Cow 
examined  by  him  to  her  appropriate  place  in  the  classification,  and  consequently 
form  an  accurate  judgment  in  regard  to  the  maximum  quantity  of  milk  which 
she  can  yield  daily,  and  also  to  the  time  during  which  this  yield  will  remain  at 
its  maximum.  It  results  from  the  numerous  and  oft-repeated  tests  to  which  this 
method  of  judging  has  been  subjected,  that  the  yield  may  sometimes  vary  from 
what  I  have  adopted  as  the  standard  point ;  because,  as  I  have  stated,  the  cli 
mate,  the  food  and  the  season  do  exercise  an  influence  upon  it.  But  there  is  one 
thing  which  never  varies,  which  always  holds  good,  at  all  times  and  in  all  pla- 
ces :  in  every  one  of  the  eight  classes,  the  Cows  of  the  higher  orders  are  always 
the  best,  and  those  of  the  lower  orders  always  the  least  good  ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
two  highest  orders  are  always  the  most  productive,  the  third  and  fourth  orders 
are  tolerably  good,  and  the  four  others  go  on  diminishing  to  the  last,  which  may 
be  looked  upon  as  nullities  so  far  as  regards  milk. 

§  2.  Bastard  Cows, 

Before  entering  upon  a  detailed  description  of  the  classes  severally,  it  is  im 
portant  that  the  reader  be  reminded  that  each  class  has  its  Bastards  ;  that  is  to 
say,  Cows  which,  although  bearing  a  perfect  resemblance  to  the  others,  do  never 
theless  differ  from  them  in  their  yield.  This  resemblance  deceives  the  most  prac 
ticed  eye,  and  is  the  source  of  many  mistakes  and  of  serious  losses.  In  order, 
therefore,  that  the  reader  may  be  enabled  to  avail  himself  of  my  method,  I  must 
make  him  acquainted  with  the  marks  by  which  the  bastards  of  each  class  are 
distinguished. 

I  have  adopted  the  word  Bastard  to  denote  those  Cows  which  give  milk  only  so 
long  as  they  have  not  been  got  with  calf  anew  ;  and  which,  upon  this  happen 
ing,  go  dry,  all  of  a  sudden  or  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  Cows  of  this  kind  are 
found  in  each  of  the  classes,  and  in  every  order  of  the  class.  Some  of  them  are 
great  milkers  ;  but  so  soon  as  they  have  got  with  calf,  their  milk  is  gone.  Oth 
ers  present  the  most  promising  appearance,  but  their  yield  is  very  insignificant. 
Cases  of  this  kind  occur  every  day  ;  the  most  skillful  judges  find  themselves  mis 
taken. 

When  it  happens  that  a  Cow  that  was  giving  a  plenty  of  milk  loses  it,  all  of  a 
sudden,  upon  being  got  with  calf,  people  do  not  know  how  to  account  for  this  loss 
of  her  milk  ;  various  causes  are  assigned  for  it,  not  one  of  which  is  the  true  one. 
It  does  not  depend,  as  some  suppose,  upon  the  will  of  the  animal  about  letting 
down  her  milk  ;  it  so  happens  simply  because  she  is  bom  so,  because  she  is  so 
formed  and  constituted. 

Now  there  are  characteristic  signs,  also,  whereby  the  Bastard  Cows  in  each  of 
the  classes  and  orders  may  be  known.  They  are  distinguished  by  the  lines  of  as 
cending  and  descending  hair  in  their  escutcheon.  These  escutcheons  are  put 
before  the  reader's  eyes  in  the  Ninth  plate,  the  drawings  of  which  are,  like  the 
others,  from  nature. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  53 

In  general,  these  Bastard  Cows  conceive  with  great  facility  the  first  time  they 
come  in  heat,  if  they  be  then  put  to  the  bull.  But  they  do  not  continue  to  give 
milk  in  any  quantity  ;  they  cannot  furnish  enough  even  for  the  calf.  Conse 
quently  if  a  Cow  of  this  kind  be  put  to  the  bull,  it  becomes  necessary  to  wean  her 
calf,  and  it  falls  away  so  as  to  be  unfit  for  the  butcher. 

Among  the  Bastard  Cows,  some  yield  an  oily  and  creamy  milk  ;  others  but  a 
eerous  milk  :  some  give  a  great  deal ;  others  but  little.  In  them,  as  in  the  gen 
uine  Cow  of  the  same  classes,  the  yield  varies  with  the  size  ;  and  the  color  of 
the  dandruf  is  the  same. 

Generally  speaking,  the  flow  of  milk  is  at  its  maximum  during  the  first  eight 
days  after  calving  ;  but  the  milk  is  of  a  bad  quality.  After  this  period  it  under 
goes  a  slight  diminution  ;  but  its  flow  being  once  regularly  established,  the 
quantity  remains  constant  until  the  Cow  has  conceived  anew.  At  this  period,  it 
undergoes  another  diminution,  in  all  the  Classes  and  Orders  ;  but  more  or  less  ac 
cording  to  the  Class  and  Order.  We  are  now  to  enter  into  a  more  particular  ex 
planation  of  this. 

CLASS  I. 
&l)e  Glaubers  Coto. 

The  reader  is  already  apprised  that,  in  the  denominations  which  have  suggest 
ed  themselves  to  me,  he  is  not  to  expect  etymological  or  scientific  combinations. 
The  names  which  I  have  given  to  my  classes  are  altogether  arbitrary,  and  have 
reference  to  my  own  notions  solely.  I  have  adopted  the  above  appellation  for  the 
Cows  of  my  first  class,  which  are  the  best  in  our  country,  because  Cows  of  the 
Flemish  breed,  extensively  known  for  their  valuable  qualities,  possess,  generally 
speaking,  the  escutcheon  which  is  characteristic  of  this  first  class.  These  Cows, 
which  I  call  the  Flanders  Cows,  are  the  best  milkers  ;  they  are  also,  among  us, 
the  most  scarce.  In  this  class,  as  in  all  the  others,  each  order  is  distinguished 
by  a  particular  modification  of  the  general  mark  or  escutcheon  of  the  class  ;  and 
there  is  a  corresponding  difference  in  the  yield  of  milk,  in  the  proportions  which 
I  am  about  to  specify. 

With  respect  to  size,  I  call  a  Cow  high  when  she  weighs  from  five  to  six  hun 
dred  pounds ;  of  medium  hight,  when  she  weighs  from  three  to  four  hundred 
pounds ;  low,  when  she  weighs  from  one  to  two  hundred  pounds.* 

HIGH  COW , , , ,  First  Order, 

Cows  of  the  First  Order  of  this  class  and  this  size  yield,  whilst  at  the  hight  of 
their  flow,  (that  is  to  say,  from  the  time  of  calving  until  they  are  got  with  calf 
again)  twenty  litres^  of  milk  a  day.  After  they  have  conceived  anew,  the  quan 
tity  of  milk  diminishes  little  by  little  ;  but  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they 
are  eight  months  gone  with  calf:  indeed  Cows  of  this  order  never  go  dry,  if  we 
choose  to  milk  them  all  the  time. 

Cows  of  this  Class  and  Order  are  known  by  their  having  a  delicate  udder,  cover 
ed  with  a  fine,  downy  hair  growing  upward  from  between  the  four  teats.  This 
downy  growth  extends  upward,  over  the  hinder  part  of  the  udder  and  the  re 
gion  above  it,  blending  itself  with  a  similar  growth  (of  hair  pointing  upward) 
which,  beginning  on  the  legs,  a  little  above  the  hock  joint,  covers  the  inner  sur- 

*  This  is  French  weight.    To  reduce  it  to  English  avoirdupois,  add  8  pounds  to  every  100. 
t  The  litre  is  one  of  the  modern  French  measures,  containing  about  2J  English  wine  pints 


54 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 


3 Class  1. 

THE  FLANDERS  COW. 


Order  1st, 


Order  2d, 


Order  5th, 


Order  6th, 


TREATTSR   o\   MJl.cn  COWS. 


Qtable  I Class  1. 

THE    FLANDERS   COW. 


Order  4th. 


Order  7th, 


Order  8th, 


56  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 

face  or  the  thighs,  encroaching  upon  the  outer  surface  to  the  points  A  A,  (Plate 
1,  Order  I,)  and  then  contracting  as  it  extends  upward  to  the  points  B  B,  on  each 
side  of  the  vulva,  and  about  four  inches*  distant  from  it.  They  generally  have, 
above  the  hind  teats,  two  small  oval  marks,  formed  by  hair  growing  downward, 
each  of  which  is  about  two  inches  wide  by  three  inches  long.  These  mar'ts  are 
distinguishable  also  by  their  color,  which  is  paler  than  that  of  the  surrounding 
upward-growing  hair. 

In  the  First  Order  of  this  Class,  the  skin  of  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  and 
adjacent  parts,  up  to  the  vulva,  is  of  a  yellowish  color,  with  here  and  there  a 
black  spot.  A  sort  of  bran  or  dandruf  detaches  from  it. 

All  Cows  whose  escutcheon  corresponds,  in  its  -general  shape  or  outline,  with 
the  one  here  described  and  seen  in  the  plate,  modified  as  it  is  in  the  various  Or 
ders,  belong  to  this  Class,  whatever  may  be  their  color  or  their  breed. 

SECOND  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
eighteen  litres  a  day  ;  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

The  marks  of  this  Order  are  exactly  like  those  of  the  First  Order,  (they  are 
designated  in  the  Plate  by  the  same  letters,)  except  that  to  the  right  of  the  vulva 
and  near  it  there  is  a  streak  of  hair  growing  downward  (F).  This  mark  is  about 
four-tenths  of  an  inch  wide  by  two  and  a  half  inches  long;  the  hair  within  it  is 
very  short.  It  indicates  that  the  daily  yield  of  the  Cow  diminishes  by  about  one- 
sixth,  upon  her  being  got  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  six 
teen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone 
with  calf. 

Their  escutcheon  resembles  in  shape  that  of  the  preceding  Orders.  It  differs 
therefrom  in  having  within  it  a  semi-circle  (C)  of  downward-growing  hair,  em 
bracing  the  vulva  and  extending  about  one  and  a  half  inches  below  it,  while  it  is 
about  two  and  a  half  inches  in  width.  The  hair  within  this  semi-circle  is  more 
shining  and  of  a  lighter  color  than  the  ascending  hair  around.  In  this  Order  there 
is  but  one  oval  (E)  above  the  teats,  to  the  left. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
fourteen  litres,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  differs  from  those  above  described  in  being  more  contracted — 
the  upward-growing  hair  occupying  less  surface.  The  points  A  A  are  not  so  far 
apart,  and  consequently  nearer  to  the  inside  of  the  thighs.  The  points  B  B  are 
nearer  to  the  vulva — distant  from  it  only  about  four-tenths  of  an  inch.  From 
these  points  there  is  a  growth  of  downward-growing  hair,  which  encloses  the 
vulva,  forming  with  it  the  two  triangles  seen  in  the  Plate,  one  side  of  which  is 
B  C.  These  triangles  also  are  distinguishable  by  the  hair  being  more  lustrous 
and  of  a  lighter  color. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
twelve  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  five  months  gone 
with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  of  this  Order,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  preceding,  is  some 
what  narrower  at  the  points  A  A  and  B  B.  Below  the  vulva,  there  is  a  streak 
of  descending  hair  (C)  about  six  inches  long  by  a  little  over  one  inch  wide.  This 

*  The  French  measures,  which  are  given  in  the  fractions  of  the  metre,  have  been  reduced  to  English 
inches.  The  reduction  is  not,  in  every  instance,  absolutely  exact ;  but  it  is  sufficiently  so  for  practical  pur 
poses. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  57 

escutcheon  is  distinguished  also  by  a  growth  of  descending  hair  (G)  on  the  right 
thigh,  which,  beginning  at  A,  encroaches  upon  the  ascending  hair,  running  into 
the  inner  surface  of  the  thigh,  to  the  distance  of  about  six  inches. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  nine 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  of  this  Order  has  the  same  figure  as  that  of  the  Fifth,  only  it 
is  more  contracted  at  the  points  A  A.  On  both  thighs  there  is  a  growth  of  de 
scending  hair  (G  G),  which  runs  into  the  inner  surface  of  the  thigh,  forming  a 
triangle,  the  sides  of  which  are  about  four  inches  and  two  inches  in  length. — 
Below  the  vulva  is  the  same  mark  (C)  as  in  the  preceding  Order. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

In  this  Order,  as  is  seen  in  the  Drawing,  the  upper  part  of  the  escutcheon  is 
entirely  wanting  on  the  right  side.  On  the  left  side  it  is  well  defined,  though  ui 
a  very  contracted  scale,  between  the  points  A  and  B.  On  the  right  side,  the 
lower  portion  of  the  escutcheon  terminates  at  a  point  in  the  line  where  the  two 
thighs  join  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  a  line  with  the  vulva.  To  the  right  of  this  line, 
the  only  trace  of  the  wanting  half  of  the  escutcheon,  above  the  point  just  men 
tioned,  consists  in  a  few  hairs  bristling  up  against  each  other. 

In  this  Order  the  udder  is  generally  covered  with  a  thin  growth  of  coarse 
hair. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  as  that  just  described,  only  yet  more  contracted 
and  imperfect.  Here  and  there,  on  each  side,  a  few  scattering  hairs  bristle  up 
within  the  space  occupied  by  the  escutcheon  in  the  more  perfect  Orders. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  distinctive  marks  of  the  several  Orders  of  this  Class 
holds  good,  whatever  may  be  the  size  of  the  Cow,  except  that  the  dimensions 
above  given,  having  reference  to  tall  Cows,  are  to  be  proportionally  reduced  in 
regard  to  those  of  the  other  two  sizes.  Respecting  the  latter,  therefore,  it  is  re 
quisite  to  state  only  their  yield  and  the  time  during  which  they  continue  to  give 
milk. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRST  ORDER. — Cows  of  the  First  Order  of  this  Size  yield,  during  the  hight  of 
their  flow,  sixteen  litres  a  day  ;  and,  like  those  of  the  High  Size,  they  continue  to 
give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  calf— the  yield  gradually  di 
minishing  from  the  time  they  conceive  anew. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  fourteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  twelve  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  throe  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 


58  TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS. 

EIGHTH  OEDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  they  continue  1 a  give 
milk  only  until  they  have  conceived  anew. 

LOW  COW. 

FIRST  ORDER. — Cows  of  the  First  Order  of  this  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight 
of  their  flow,  twelve  litres  a  day  ;  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are 
eight  months  gone  with  calf — the  yield  gradually  diminishing  from  the  time 
they  conceive  anew. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  one  litre  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
only  until  they  have  conceived  anew. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  FLANDERS  COW. 

Upon  entering  on  the  description  of  these  Bastards,  I  will  observe  that  I  shall 
confine  myself  to  Cows  of  the  High  Size  ;  because,  to  apply  the  description  to 
those  of  the  smaller  sizes,  all  that  will  be  requisite  is  to  reduce  the  dimensions 
of  the  marks  in  proportion  to  the  smallness  of  the  Cow. 

The  Flanders  Cow  has  two  varieties  of  Bastards,  (Plate  IX,  Fig.  1  and  2.)— 
The  first  has,  within  the  escutcheon  of  ascending  hair,  an  oval  (J)  of  downward- 
growing  hair,  just  below  the  vulva,  and  in  a  line  with  it,  distant  therefrom  about 
eight  inches.  This  oval  is  about  four  inches  long,  by  about  two  and  a  half  inches 
wide  ;  and  the  hair  within  it  is  invariably  of  a  lighter  color  than  that  around. — 
The  larger  the  oval  is,  the  more  rapidly  will  the  Cow  lose  her  milk  and  go  dry 
upon  being  got  with  calf.  The  smaller  it  is,  the  less  rapid  will  be  the  loss  of 
milk  ;  but  it  will  not  the  less  certainly  take  place,  in  a  notable  degree,  in  every 
Cow  that  bears  this  mark.  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  Drawing  represents  the 
Cow  of  the  First  Order  only — this  being  sufficient  to  make  the  reader  well  enough 
acquainted  with  the  mark  to  recognize  it  when  it  occurs  in  Cows  of  the  inferior 
Orders. 

The  Bastard  No.  2  may  be  known  by  the  circumstance  that  the  upward-grow 
ing  hair  which  forms  the  escutcheon,  instead  of  lying  smooth  and  pointing 
straight  upward,  bristles  up  like  the  beards  of  an  ear  of  wheat,  and  projects 
crosswise  over  the  outline  of  the  escutcheon  at  the  points  A  A.  The  more  ex 
tensive  the  surface  of  the  escutcheon  is,  and  the  finer  and  smoother  the  hair 
growing  within  it,  the  more  abundant  is  the  yield  of  milk.  When  this  hair  is 
coarse,  long  and  scanty,  it  indicates  a  thin,  serous  milk. 

In  the  Bastards,  the  skin  on  the  interior  of  the  thighs,  up  to  the  vulva,  is  gen 
erally  of  a  reddish  color  ;  it  is  smooth  to  the  touch,  and  yields  no  dandruf. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  59 


CLASS  II. 

Cotrj. 


The  shape  of  the  escutcheon  of  this  Class  is  very  different  from  that  of  th.2 
First.  The  upper  part  of  this  escutcheon  consists,  as  is  seen  in  the  Drawing, 
(Plate  II.)  of  a  growth  of  ascending  hair,  rising  vertically,  and  without  any  inter 
ruption  from  descending  hair,  to  the  vulva.  Its  resemblance  to  the  list  or  selvage 
of  a  piece  of  cloth  is  what  suggested  the  name  that  I  have  given  to  this  Class. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.  —  Cows  of  this  Order  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  eighteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with 
calf.     Like  those  of  the  First  Order  of  the  First  Class,  they  never  go  dry,  if  we 
j  choose  to  milk  them  all  the  time. 

The  udder  is  delicate  and  covered  with  a  fine,  downy  hair,  growing  upward.  — 
The  escutcheon  consists  of  a  growth  of  ascending  hair,  commencing  between  the 
fore  teats,  and  also  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  just  above  the  hock  joint. 
It  expands  as  it  extends  upward,  till  it  reaches  the  points  A  A.  Here  it  is  bound 
ed  by  a  right  line,  which  runs  across  the  inner  side  of  the  thigh,  from  A  A  to 
the  points  D  D,  which  are  about  four  inches  distant  from  each  other.  From  these 
points  right  lines  rise  vertically  to  the  vulva,  where  they  terminate,  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  apart. 

Above  the  two  hind  teats,  and  nearly  in  a  vertical  line  with  them,  are  two  oval 
marks  (E  E),  formed  by  a  growth  of  descending  hair,  distinguishable  by  its  lus 
tre,  the  size  of  which  is  about  the  same  as  in  the  Flanders  Cow. 

In  these  Cows,  also,  the  skin  of  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  is  of  a  yellowish 
color. 

SECOND  ORDER.  —  These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  sixteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  seven  and  a  half  months  gone  with 
calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  First  Order,  only  the  points  A  A  are 
not  so  high  up,  and  the  entire  figure  is  on  a  rather  smaller  scale.  To  the  left  of 
the  vulva,  outside  of  the  escutcheon,  is  a  small  streak  of  ascending  hair  (E),  about 
two  and  three-fourths  inches  long  by  less  than  half  an  inch  wide.  There  is  but 
one  oval  above  the  hind  teats,  on  the  left  side.  The  entire  escutcheon  is  distin 
guishable  by  the  hair  within  being  more  glossy  than  that  around  it. 

THIRD  ORDER.  —  These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  fourteen 
litres  a  day,  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  six  months  gone  with 
calf. 

The  escutcheon  differs  from  the  preceding  m  the  following  particulars  :  it  is  on 
a  smaller  scale  ;  the  points  A  A  are  nearer  to  the  points  D  D,  and  the  lines  which 
rise  from  the  latter  points  meet  at  the  vulva,  so  as  to  form  an  acute  angle.  On 
each  side  of  the  vulva  is  a  streak  of  ascending  hair  (F  F,)  of  the  same  size  as  the 
one  in  the  preceding  order  ;  that  on  the  right  being,  however,  sensibly  shorter 
,  than  the  one  on  the  left.  There  is,  also,  but  one  of  the  oval  marks  (E)  above  the 
teats,  to  the  left. 

FOURTH  ORDER.  —  These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  twelve  \ 

litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  and  a  half  months  < 

:   gone  with  calf.  f 


60 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


2 <Ela0s  2. 

THE  SELVAGE  COW. 


Order  1st, 


Order  2d, 


TREATISE    ON    MILCII     COWS. 


61 


OTable  12T Class  2. 

THE  SELVAGE  COW. 


Order  4th. 


The  escutcheon  is  like  that  of  the  preceding  order,  with  the  difference  that  the 
points  A  A  are  considerably  lower  down  than  the  points  D  D.  The  two  streaks 
of  ascending  hair,  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  are  longer  by  nearly  an  inch, 
and  also  wider  than  in  the  Third  Order ;  and  there  is  no  oval  mark  above  the 
teats. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  on  a  smaller  scale  than  in  the  Fourth  Order  ;  the  points  D 
D  are  much  nearer  together — the  distance  between  them  being  less  than  one 
inch ;  the  list  or  selvage,  as  it  rises  toward  the  vulva,  takes  a  turn  to  the  left — 
its  width  contracting  very  much — and  runs  up,  past  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
vulva,  to  the  point  F.  There  is  but  one  streak  of  ascending  hair  (F)  on  the  right  ? 
of  the  vulva,  six  inches  long  by  an  inch  and  a  half  wide. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  eight  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  yet  more  contracted  than  the  one  last  described  ;  the  selvage 
is  very  narrow,  and  terminates  in  a  point,  about  four  inches  from  its  base.  There 
are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  of  about  the 
same  size  as  the  one  in  the  fifth  order  ;  that  is  to  say,  six  inches  long  by  one  and 
a  half  in  width. 

SEVENTH  ORDSK. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  six  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  smaller  than  the  last ;  the  selvage  being  now  nothing 
more  than  a  small  angular  projection  of  upward  growing  hair,  in  the  direction  of 
the  vulva.  There  are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (F  F)  on  the  right  and  left 
of  the  vulva.  The  one  on  the  left  is  nearly  eight  inches  long  by  an  inch  and  a 
half  wide  ;  and  consists  of  coarse  hair,  which,  in  growing  upwardv  deflects  cross 
wise  toward  the  outer  part  of  the  thigh.  The  one  on  the  right  is  of  the  same 
width,  but  only  half  as  long  as  the  other  ;  it  consists  of  hair  growing  in  the  same 
way. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  four  litres 
a  day,  and  cease  to  give  milk  upon  being  got  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  exceedingly  small ;  the  selvage  is  but  a  mere  projecting 
point ;  there  is  but  one  streak  at  the  side  of  the  vulva,  on  the  left ;  which  is  form 
ed  of  a  scanty  growth  of  coarse  hairs,  bristling  up  and  deflecting  crosswise. 

The  remark  made  above,  in  regard  to  the  First  Class,  I  will  here  repeat  with 
respect  to  the  present  and  to  the  remaining  six :  all  that  is  said  of  the  different 
orders  of  the  high  size,  so  far  as  regards  their  characteristic  marks,  holds  good 
of  the  same  Orders  in  the  other  sizes,  except  as  to  the  dimensions  of  the  marks, 
which  are  to  be  proportionally  reduced.  On  the  subject  of  the  two  lower  sizes, 
I  shall  therefore  confine  myself  to  the  yield  of  milk,  and  the  time  during  which 
the  Cow  continues  to  give  milk  after  conceiving  anew. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRST  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  fotrteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  eight  months  gone  with  calf.  , 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  thirteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  ) 
milk  until  six  and  a  half  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  eleven  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS.  63 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  hires  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eigkt  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  they  have  conceived  anew. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being 
impregnated  anew. 

LOW  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  ten  litres 
a  day  ;  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  they  are  six  and  a  half  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  three  montns  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  also  yield  two  litres  a  day,  but  they  go  dry 
upon  conceiving  anew. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  but  one  litre  a  day,  and  cease  to  give  milk 
upon  conceiving  anew. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  SELVAGE  COW 

The  Bastards  of  this  Class,  (see  Plate  IX.  Fig.  3)  whatever  may  be  their  size 
and  the  Order  to  which  they  belong,  are  to  be  known  by  two  patches  of  ascend 
ing  hair,  (F  F)  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  distant  from  it  an  inch  and  a 
quarter  to  an  inch  and  a  half.  They  are  from  four  to  five  inches  long  by  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  wide.  The  smaller  they  are,  and  the  finer  the  hair  within 
them,  the  less  rapid  is  the  loss  of  milk  which  they  always  indicate.  When  they 
consist  of  coarse  hair,  and  terminate  in  a  point  at  each  end,  they  indicate  that  the 
milk  is  poor  and  serous. 


CLASS  III. 
&l)e  CnrtJeiine  Coto. 

1  have  given  this  name  to  the  Cows  of  my  Third  Class,  because  Vaeir  escutch 
eon,  which  is  lozenge-shaped,  is  bounded  above  by  two  curved  lines  ;  which, 
commencing  to  the  right  a.id  left  on  the  thighs,  run  up  toward  the  vulva,  and 
meet  at  appoint  below  it.  (See  Plate  III.) 

This  Class  is  a  very  numerous  one  :  and,  in  regard  to  the  yield  of  milk,  approx 
imates  to  the  First  Claes.  Cows  belonging  to  it,  and  to  every  one  of  its  Orders, 


64 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


Sable  113 Class  3. 

THE   CURVELINE    COW. 


Order  1st, 


Order  2d, 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


G5 


<&able  333 Class  3. 

THE  CURVELINE  COW. 


Order  4th. 


66  TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  j 

. i 

are  found  in  all  breeds.     The  yield  varies  according  to  the  Order  and  the  size*  ' 
just  as  in  the  First  and  Second  Classes. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Size  and  Order  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
eighteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

They  exhibit  the  same  delicacy  of  texture,  and  the  same  yellowish  color  of  the 
skin  within  the  escutcheon,  as  those  of  tlie  higher  Orders  of  the  foregoing  Classes. 
The  escutcheon,  in  its  upper  part,  is  broader  than  that  of  the  Second  Class.  It 
commences  between  the  four  teats,  and  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  above 
the  hock  joint.  Rising  thence,  and  encroaching  upon  the  outer  surface  of  the 
thighs  to  two  points,  (A  A)  about  midway  up,  its  upper  part  is  bounded  by  the 
lines  above  mentioned  ;  which,  beginning  at  the  points  A  A,  curve  outward,  and 
are  united,  just  below  the  vulva,  about  an  inch  or  less  from  it,  by  another  short 
curved  line.  (B)  The  lower  part  of  the  escutcheon  is  bounded  by  lines  on  the 
thighs,  curving  inward. 

Above  the  hind  teats,  and  nearly  in  a  vertical  line  with  them,  are  two  ovals, 
(E  E)  formed  by  hair  growing  downward,  the  same  as  in  the  higher  Orders  of  the 
two  preceding  Classes. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  sixteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  as  that  just  described,  only  somewhat  contracted 
in  all  its  parts.  There  is  but  one  oval  (E)  above  the  teats,  on  the  left  side.  On 
the  left  of  the  vulva,  is  a  streak  of  ascending  hair,  (F)  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
long  by  less  than  half  an  inch  in  width. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  fourteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  of  the  same  shape  as  in  the  preceding  Order;  contracted, 
however,  in  all  its  parts.  The  point  B  is  still  lower  down.  To  the  right  and  left 
of  the  vulva  are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  (F  F)  about  four  inches  long  by 
less  than  an  inch  in  width.  Above  the  teats,  on  the  left,  is  one  oval  (E). 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  twelve 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  the  same  in  shape,  but  on  a  yet  smaller  scale  through 
out  ;  its  upper  extremity  at  a  greater  distance,  therefore,  below  the  vulva.  The 
base  of  its  upper  part  rests  on  the  udder.  The  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  (F  F) 
on  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  are  longer  and  wider  than  those  in  the  third 
Order  ;  and  the  hairs  within  them  b.istle  up,  projecting  on  each  side.  On  the 
right  there  is  a  failure  of  the  ascending  hair  below  the  point  A,  and  its  place  (F) 
is  occupied  by  hair  growing  downward. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  still,  lower  down,  and  confined  to  the  inner  surface 
of  the  thighs.  On  the  left,  there  is  a  patch  of  bristling  hair  growing  upward, 
nearly  eight  inches  long  by  an  inch  and  a  half,  or  more,  in  width.  To  the  right 
and  left,  beginning  at  the  points  A  A,  are  two  spaces  (F  F)  covered  with  hair 
growing  downward  instead  of  the  ascending  hair.  They  are  about  four  inches  in 
width,  and  six  inches  long,  running  inward  toward  the  crease  formed  by  the 
meeting  of  the  thighs. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS.  67 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  seven 
•'ttrgs  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  of  the  same  shape  ;  but  the  point  B  is  now  so  far  down 
fcelow  the  vulva  that  it  must  be  looked  for  where  the  thighs  meet.  At  the  point 
£,  under  the  vulva,  is  a  small  patch  of  ascending  hair,  about  an  inch  and  two- 
thirds  long,  by  four-fifths  of  an  inch  in  width. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  Jive  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  uncil  they  are  impregnated  anew. 

The  escutcheon  is  yet  more  reduced  in  size,  and  is  now  hid  away  between  the 
thighs.  To  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  are  two  patches  of  ascending  hair, 
(F  F)  which  bristles  up  and  projects  on  each  side.  They  are  about  six  inches 
long  by  two  and  a  half  wide. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  three 
litres  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with  calf. 

In  this  Order,  the  escutcheon  is  still  perceptible,  but  it  is  of  a  very  diminutive 
size. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRST  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  fifteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  thirteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eleven  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  nine  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  seven  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  Jive  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to 
give  milk  until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litre*  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got 
with  calf. 

LOW  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  twelve  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  seven  montns  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  Jive  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER.- -These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  mUk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being 
impregnated  anew. 


68  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being 
impregnated  anew. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  CURVELINE  COW. 

In  the  Curveline  Cow,  the  growths  of  ascending  .hair,  (F  F)  to  the  right  and 
left  of  the  vulva,  require  special  attention,  in  regard  to  their  dimensions,  to  see 
that  they  are  of  the  size  indicated  in  the  several  descriptions  of  the  different  Or 
ders.  When  they  are  of  small  size,  they  do  not  indicate  a  very  rapid  loss  of  rnilk  ; 
but  when  they  are  from  four  to  five  inches  long,  by  an  inch  and  a  half  in  width, 
(in  which  case  they  are  generally  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  consist  of  coarse  hair,) 
they  may  then  be  considered  as  the  size  of  a  bastard  Cow,  that  will  go  dry  so 
soon  as  she  is  got  with  calf.  As  a  general  rule  with  regard  to  these  marks,  the 
larger  they  are,  the  worse  will  the  Cow  be  in  this  respect.  (See  Plate  IX.  Fig.  4.) 


CLASS  IV. 

£  Bicorn 


This  name  is  given  to  my  Fourth  Class,  because  the  upper  part  of  its  escutch 
eon  represents  tv/o  horns.  Cows  of  this  class  are  good  milkers.  They  are  found 
in  all  the  breeds  which  we  possess  in  France.  In  this,  as  in  the  other  Classes, 
the  general  mark  of  the  Class  presents  itself  under  modifications  indicative  of  the 
Order  to  which  the  Cow  belongs. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.  —  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  sixteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

Like  those  of  the  same  Order  in  the  foregoing  Classes,  they  are  distinguished 
by  the  delicacy  of  their  udder.  The  dandruf  which  detaches  from  the  skin 
throughout  the  escutcheon  is  of  a  yellowish  or  copperish  color.  This  escutcheon, 
as  I  have  said  above,  has  at  top  two  horns,  formed  in  the  way  that  is  seen  in  the 
drawing.  (Plate  IV.  Order  1.)  It  begins,  as  in  the  foregoing  Orders,  in  the  space 
between  the  four  teats,  and  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs,  just  above  the  hock 
joint  ;  whence  it  rises  toward  the  tail,  spreading  over  the  inner  surface,  and  par 
tially  over  the  outer  surface,  of  the  thighs,  to  the  points  A  A.  From  these  points, 
its  outline  consists  of  curved  lines  to  the  points  B  B,  which  are  distant  about  four 
inches  from  the  vulva.  Thence  the  outline  descends  again  on  each  side  in  near 
ly  straight  lines,  which  meet  at  the  point  C,  immediately  beneath  the  vulva,  and 
at  the  distance  of  about  eight  inches  from  it.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva, 
are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  (F  F)  about  two  inches  long  by  two-fifths  of  an 
inch  in  width. 

As  in  the  higher  Orders  of  the  Classes  already  described,  so  m  the  present  we 
find,  above  the  two  hind  teats,  two  small  oval  marks,  (D  D)  formed  by  hair  grow 
ing  downward  in  the  field  of  ascending  hair. 

SECOND  ORDER.—  These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  fourteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with 
call'. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS. 


The  escutcheon  is  the  same  as  in  the  First  Order  ;  except  that  it  is  on  a  small 
er  scale,  and  does  not  reach  so  high  up.  The  color  of  the  skin  within  it  is  the 
same.  Of  the  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  (F  F)  on  the  right  and  left  of  the 
vulva,  the  'one  on  the  left  is  of  the  same  size  as  in  the  First  Order,  whilst  the 
other  is  but  half  as  long.  Of  the  two  horns,  (E  B)  the  one  on  the  right  is  up 
ward  of  an  inch  shorter  than  the  other.  There  is  but  one  oval  mark  (D)  above 
the  teats,  on  the  left. 

THIRD  ORDER.— These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  twelve 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  of  the  same  shape  as  in  the  preceding  Order  ;  smaller,  and 
consequently  spreading  less  upon  the  outer  surface  of  the  thighs  ;  the  right  hand 
horn  shorter,  by  about  two  inches,  than  the  one  on  the  left.  There  is  but  one  of 
the  marks  (F)  along  side  of  the  vulva,  on  the  left. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  live  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  than  in  the  Third  Order ;  but  the  same  in  shape, 
except  on  the  right  of  its  lower  part,  when  the  following  irregularity  occurs:  be 
low  the  point  A,  the  ascending  hair  is  encroached  upon  by  a  growth  of  descend 
ing  hair,  that  runs  into  the  escutcheon,  forming  an  angle,  the  point  of  which  is 
at  I  I.  Measured  across  from  the  point  A,  this  angle  of  descending  hair  pene 
trates  the  escutcheon  to  the  distance  of  about  four  inches  ;  whilst  the  break  which 
it  makes  in  the  outline  of  the  escutcheon  is  from  six  to  seven  and  a  half  inches 
long. 

Besides  this  irregularity  in  the  shape  of  the  escutcheon,  this  Order  is  distin 
guished  by  a  streak  of  ascending  hair  (E)  under  the  vulva,  nearly  three  inches 
long  by  two-fifths  of  an  inch  in  width. 

Whenever  the  blemish  or  irregularity  in  the  escutcheon  here  described  is 
found,  it  indicates  a  more  rapid  decrease  in  the  daily  yield  of  milk  than  would  be 
exhibited  by  a  Cow  possessing  the  same  escutcheon  free  from  blemish  ;  and  the 
rate  of  decrease  will  be  proportionate  to  the  size  of  the  blemish  ;  that  is  to  say,  to 
the  extent  of  surface  covered  by  the  descending  hair  where  it  encroaches  upon 
the  field  of  upward  growing  hair. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  eight  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  the  same  in  shape  as  the  preceding,  but  on  a  smaller  scale. 
Near  the  vulva,  to  the  left,  is  a  streak  of  bristling  hair,  growing  upward,  (F) 
about  six  inches  long  by  two  wide.  At  the  points  A  A,  on  the  right  and  left,  are 
two  spaces  where  the  ascending  hair  fails  and  is  replaced  by  downward  growing 
hair ;  which  spaces  penetrate  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  to  the  points  I  I. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  six  litres  a 
day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  the  same  as  in  the  Fifth  Order  ;  but  smaller,  and  hid  away  be 
tween  the  thighs.  Above  it,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  are  two  streaks 
(F  F)  of  ascending  hair,  bristling  up  and  projecting  sideways.  They  are  of  the 
same  size  as  the  one  in  the  preceding  Order,  just  described. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  whilst  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  four  li 
tres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  same  escutcheon,  but  still  more  hid  away  between  the  thighs.  The 
marks  on  fhe  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  consisting  each  of  a  growth 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


THE    BICORN    COW. 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


71 


Sable  3(b dLlaee  4. 

THE   BICORN    COW. 


Order  3d, 


Order  4th. 


72  TREATISE   ON   MILCH  COWS. 

hair*pointing  upward,  are  longer  and  wider  than  those  in  the  preceding  Order 
the  one  on  the  right  not  so  long  as  the  other. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  three 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  have  conceived  anew. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  denned,  but  on  a  very  small  scale.  If  the  marks  of  up 
ward  growing  hair  (F  F)  at  the  sides  of  the  vulva  exist  at  all,  they  consist  of  a 
few  bristling  hairs,  projecting  crosswise. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT. 

FIRST  ORDER. — Cows  of  this  Order,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield 
fourteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone 
with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  twelve  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

(       FOURTH  ORDER. —These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  cease  to  give  milk 
upon  being  got  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  upon  conceiving  anew. 

LOW  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  eleven 
litres  a  day  ;  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with 
calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  nine  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  seven  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  Jive  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  h've  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  and  a  half  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  their  yield  goes  on 
diminishing  until  they  conceive  anew  ;  at  which  time  they  go  dry. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  at  the  same  penod. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  BICORN  COW. 

The  marks  F  F  possess  the  same  properties  for  indicating  the  Bastards  of  tins 
Fourth  Class,  as  in  regard  to  those  of  the  Third.  (See  Plate  IX.  Fig.  5.) 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS.  73 

CLASS  V. 

Coto. 


Tills  nacre  indicates  the  shape  of  the  escutcheon  of  this  class.  It  may  strike 
the  reader  as  queer  ;  but  it  is  significant,  and  serves  to  recall  the  figure  of  the 
characteristic  mark  of  the  Class,  which  very  much  resembles  the  outline  of  a  dcm 
ijohn.  If  my  discovery  is  a  useful  one,  habit  will  soon  accustom  people  to  this 
name,  as  well  as  to  the  others  of  my  Eight  Classes  ;  and  to  those  who  may  feel 
disposed  to  find  fault  with  them,  1  will  say,  what  matters  it  to  you  ?  the  name  is 
as  nothing,  the  importance  is  altogether  in  the  thing. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.  —  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
yield  sixteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

The  skin  within  the  escutcheon  has  the  same  yellowish  color  as  in  the  higher 
Orders  of  the  preceding  Classes.  The  udder  is  delicate,  and  covered  with  fine, 
downy  hair.  The  escutcheon,  consisting  of  a  growth  of  ascending  hair,  begins 
between  the  four  teats,  and  on  the  inner  side  of  the  legs,  above  the  hock  joint  , 
as  it  extends  upward  it  spreads  upon  the  outer  surface  of  the  thighs  to  the  points 
A  A.  (Plate  V.  Fig.  1.)  From  these  points,  the  figure  is  bounded  by  right  lines, 
to  the  points  J  J,  which  are  distant  from  each  other  from  five  to  six  inches.  From 
these  points,  the  upward  growing  hair  rises  to  the  line  N,  where  it  is  from  two 
and  a  half  to  three  and  a  quarter  inches  in  width.  This  line  is  directly  below 
the  vulva,  and  distant  from  it  about  four  inches.  The  wider  the  figure  is  at  this 
place,  and  the  nearer  it  approaches  to  the  vulva,  the  better  the  Cow. 

Above  the  hind  teats  are  two  ovals  (E  E),  formed  by  descending  hair,  about 
four  inches  long,  by  nearly  three  inches  in  width.  On  the  right  and  left  of  the 
vulva  are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (0  0),  nearly  two  and  a  half  inches  long, 
by  less  than  half  an  inch  in  widih.  The  hair  within  these  streaks  is  fine  and 
short,  and  very  distinct  from  the  dascending  hair  that  surrounds  them. 

SECOND  ORD.ER.  —  These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  four 
teen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with 
calf. 

The  escutcheon  differs  from  that  of  the  First  Order  in  being  on  a  smaller  scale. 
Above  the  teats  there  is  but  one  oval  (E)  to  the  right,  formed  by  descending 
hair.  Of  the  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (0  0)  alongside  of  the  vulva,  the 
one  to  the  left  is  of  the  same  dimensions  as  in  the  First  Order  ;  but  the  one  to 
the  right,  although  of  the  same  width,  is  of  but  half  the  length. 

THIRD  ORDER.  —  These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  twelve 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon,  preserving  its  general  shape,  is  yet  more  contracted.  At  the 
points  A  A,  it  is  more  rounded  off,  and  no  longer  spreads  on  the  outer  surface  of 
fhe  thighs.  Above  the  points  J  J,  it  is  narrower  ;  and  it  stops  short  at  N  consid 
erably  lower  down  beneath  the  vulva.  There  is  but  one  of  the  streaKS  (O)  of 
ascending  hair,  which  is  to  the  left  of  the  vulva,  and  about  an  inch  ai.a  a  half 
long,  by  two-fifths  of  an  inch  in  width. 


74 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


TABLE  V CLASS  5. 


Qetnijoljn  Com. 


TREATISE    ON    MILCH    COWS. 


75 


TABLE  V ....CLASS  5, 


Cotrj. 


Order  3d, 


Order  4th. 


Order  7th, 


Order  8th, 


__ 


76  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  ten 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  yet  more  reduced  in-size.  The  points  A  A  lower  down  and 
nearer  together.  The  lines  are  more  curved  at  the  points  J  J,  and  the  distance 
from  these  points  to  N  is  much  less.  Below  A,  on  the  right  side,  there  is  a  fail 
ure  of  the  upward  growing  hair,  marked  P. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  eight  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  goes  on  contracting  in  size.  The  points  A  A,  being  now  on 
the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs,  are  no  longer  so  apparent.  The  upper  extremity 
N  is  much  farther  below  the  vulva.  At  both  points  A  A  there  is  a  failure  of  the 
ascending  hair  (P  P),  where  its  place  is  occupied  by  descending  hair,  running  in 
to  the  escutcheon.  These  marks  are  about  five  inches  deep,  by  four  in  width. 

Below  the  vulva  there  is  a  small  streak  of  ascending  hair  (E),  about  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  long,  by  less  than  half  an  inch  wide. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  six  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  on  a  still  more  contracted  scale  than  in  the  preceding  Order. 
Near  the  vulva,  to  the  left,  there  is  a  streak  of  ascending  hair  (F),  which  bristles 
up.  It  is  nearly  five  inches  long,  by  about  one  and  a  half  in  width. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  four 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  and  lower  down  than  in  the  preceding  Order.  On 
the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva  are  two  streaks  of  ascending  hair,  which  bristles 
up.  The  one  on  the  left  (F)  is  somewhat  longer  than  that  found  in  the  Sixth  Or 
der  ;  the  one  on  the  right  (C)  is  about  four  inches  long,  by  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
width.  Below  the  point  A,  on  the  right  hand,  there  is  a  failure  of  the  ascending 
hair  (P). 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  two 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  have  conceived  anew. 

The  escutcheon  is  hid  away  between  the  thighs  ;  the  points  A  A  scarcely  per 
ceptible.  The  streaks  of  brisfting  hair  (C  C)  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva 
are  of  the  kind  indicative  of  the  degeneracy  and  bad  quality  of  the  Cow. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRST  ORDER.— Tnese  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  fourteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  twelve  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf.  , 

FOURTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  ' 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with  calf. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS.  77 

LOW  COW, 

FIBST  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of"  their  How,  yield  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  call. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to 
give  milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  OEDER. — These  Cows  yield  one  litre  of  milk  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon 
conceiving  anew. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  DEMIJOHN  COW. 

When  the  streaks  marked  F  F  are  found  in  the  Cow  of  this  Class,  of  the  di 
mensions  specified  in  the  description  of  the  Bastard  of  the  Curvcline  Cow,  they 
serve  here  also  to  detect  the  Bastard  Cow  ;  and  her  badness  in  regard  to  the  rapid 
loss  of  her  milk  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  these  streaks.  The  smaller 
they  are,  the  less  defective  will  she  be  in  this  respect.  (See  Plate  IX.  Fig.  6.) 


CLASS  VI. 

Cos). 


The  name  indicates  the  appearance  of  the  escutcheon,  the  upper  part  of  which 
is  shaped  like  a  carpenter's  or  mason's  square. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.  —  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  sixteen  litres  a  day,  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight 
months  gone  with  calf. 

The  skin  within  the  escutcheon  is  of  the  same  yellowish  color  as  in  the  supe 
rior  Orders  of  the  preceding  Classes.  The  udder  delicate,  covered  with  short, 
fine  hair.  The  escutcheon  begins  as  in  the  foregoing  Classes  ;  and,  rising  from 
just  above  the  hock  joint,  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs,  spreads  outward  to 
the  points  A  A.  (See  Plate  VI.  Order  1.)  Above  those  points  it  represents  a 
square.  A  right  line  runs  across  to  the  points  J  J,  distant  from  each  other  from 
five  to  six  inches.  Thence  the  figure  is  bounded  by  two  -right  lines,  which  meet 
in  an  acute  angle  at  the  point  E,  distant  about  two  inches  from  the  vulva.  Above 
that,  to  the  left,  the  figure  of  a  square  is  formed  by  two  streaks  of  hair,  E  E  aryl 
B  C  (the  point  C  being  at  the  orifice  of  the  vagina)  ;  the  former  of  which  is  about 

f  four  inches  long,  by  an  inch  and  a  quarter  wide,  and  the  latter  from  five  to  six 

\  inches  long,  by  somewhat  less  than  the  same  width. 


TREATISE  ON  MILCH  COWS. 


Above  the  hindmost  teats  are  two  small  oval  marks  (G  Gr),  formed  by  down 
ward  growing  hair  in  the  field  of  ascending  hair.  They  are  about  five  or  six 
inches  long,  by  two  and  a  half  wide.  The  hair  within  them  is  of  a  lighter  color 
than  that  without. 

The  nearer  the  escutcheon  approaches  to  the  vulva,  the  better  the  Cow. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  fourteen 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with 
calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  as  in  the  First  Order,  only  somewhat  reduced  in 
size.  The  square  figure  near  the  vulva  commences  lower  down,  and  is  longer 
than  the  one  just  described.  There  is  but  one  oval  above  the  teats,  to  the  left 
(Or),  of  the  same  size  as  those  in  the  First  Order. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  twelve 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  in  its  general  shape,  but  it  is  more  contracted  in 
all  its  parts,  and  does  not  extend  so  high  up.  The  points  A  A  are  nearer  to  the 
inner  surface  of  the  thighs ;  and  the  escutcheon  is  narrower  at  the  points  J  J, 
where  the  outline  has  acquired  a  curved  character. 

The  angular  space  between  J  J  and  E  is  narrower  than  the  streak  E  B,  and 
shorter  than  B  C.  The  latter  is  wider  and  longer  than  in  the  preceding  Order. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  'continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  more  reduced  in  size.  To  the  right  of  the  vulva  there 
is  a  streak  of  bristling  hair,  growing  upward  (F),  about  four  inches  long,  by  one 
and  a  half  wide.  Below  the  point  A,  to  the  right,  there  is  a  space  (U)  where 
the  upward  growing  hair  fails,  and  is  replaced  by  descending  hair. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  eight  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  unfavorable  marks  are  the  same  as  in  the  preceding  Order,  only  more  con 
spicuous  and  on  a  larger  scale. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  six  litres  a 
day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  yet  more  contracted,  confined  to  the  inner  surface  of  the 
thighs,  and  more  distant  from  the  vulva.  To  the  right  and  left  of  this  orifice  are 
streaks  or  lines  of  ascending  hair,  coarse  and  bristling. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  four 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  still.  The  streak  of  ascending  hair  (F)  on  the  right 
is  wider,  and  the  hair  more  bristling. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  two  litres 
a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with  calf. 

The  shape  of  the  escutcheon  is  still  perceptible ;  but  it  is  very  email,  and  hid 
away 'between  the  thighs. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRST  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  from  twelve 
,  to  thirteen  litres  a  day,  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight 
months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  ten  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
seven  months  gone  with  calf. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


79 


THIRD  ORDER  -These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  one  month  and  a  half  advanced  in  gestation. 

EIGHTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with 
calf. 


Order  1st, 


Order  5th, 


TABLE  VI CLASS  6. 

\}t  Srjtictre-Sttitctyeon  Coto. 

Order  2d.  Order  3d, 


Order  6th, 


Order  7th, 


Order  4th, 


LOW  CO\V, 

FIRST  ORDER.— Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  nine  litres  a  day ;  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight 
months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
ra ')'c  iruil  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER  — These  Cows  yield  four  and  a  hdlf  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 


80  TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 

FIFTH  ORDER.  —These  Cows  yield  three  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to 
give  milk  until  tkree  months  gone  witk  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  one  litre  a  day,  and  continue  to  gi?e  milk 
until  a  month  and  a  half  advanced  in  gestation. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with 
calf. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  SQUARE-SCUTCHEON  COW. 

When  the  streak  (0)  of  ascending  hair  on  the  right  of  the  vulva  consists  of 
coarse,  bristling  hair,  this  indicates  a  Bastard.  She  will  lose  her  milk  the  more 
promptly  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  this  growth,  of  bristling  hair,  to  the  coarse 
ness  of  the  hair,  and  to  the  degree  in  which  it  bristles  up  and  projects  over  ;  but, 
waerever  this  sign  exists,  the  Cow  will  lose  her  milk,  more  or  less  gradually,  a 
s'iiort  time  after  being  impregnated.  The  indication  of  this  will  be  the  more  pos- 
live  if  the  streaks  above  described  as  forming  the  square,  to  the  left  of  the  vulva, 
tut,®  consist  of  coarse,  bristling  hair. 


CLASS  VII. 


Tne  first  Cow  of  this  Class  which  came  under  my  notice  was  from  the  Province 
wiuse  name  I  have  adopted  as  that  of  the  Class.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred,  how- 
erer,  that  none  but  the  Cows  of  Limousin  belong  to  the  Class.  Its  characteristic 
mark  is  to  be  found  in  all  the  different  breeds.  The  name  is  a  purely  arbitrary 
one  ;  and,  in  adopting  it,  1  acted  in  the  same  spirit  that  influenced  me  in  calling 
my  First  Class  the  Flanders  Cow. 

HIGH  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.  —  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow, 
yield  fourteen  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

The  skin,  within  the  escutcheon  formed  by  the  growth  of  ascending  hair,  is  of 
the  same  yellowish  color  as  in  the  nigher  Orders  of  the  preceding  Classes.  The 
udder  is  delicate,  and  covered  with  short,  fine,  and  silky  hair.  The  growth  of 
ascending  hair  begins  between  the  teats,  and  on  the  inner  side  of  the  legs,  above 
the  ho<  fc  joint,  spreading  outwardly,  as  it  rises,  to  the  points  A  A  (see  Plate  VII. 
Order  1),  on  the  outer  surface  of  the  thighs.  From  these  points  the  escutcheon 
is  bounded  by  two  right  lines,  which  run  slanting  downward  to  the  points  J  J, 
which  are  about  four  inches  apart.  From  these  points  two  right  lines  rise  to  the 
point  U,  somewhat  less  than  three  inches  below  the  vulva,  where  they  meet  in 
an  acute  angle. 

To  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva  are  two  small  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (C 
C),  about  three  inches  or  less  in  length,  by  two-fifths  of  an  inch  in  width.  Above 
the  hind  teats  are  two  ovals  of  descending  hair  (G  G),  about  four  inches  long, 


81 

by  two  and  a  half  inches  in  width.     They  are  very  distinguishable,  by  meani  of 
the  whitish  color  of  the  hair  within  them. 

These  streaks,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  do  not  always  occur  in  Cows 
of  the  First  Order  ;  and  they  are  not,  therefore,  to  be  considered  as  an  indispensa 
ble  part  of  the  characteristic  marks  of  this  Order.  The  escutcheon  itself,  even, 
is  sometimes  imperfectly  defined,  and  yet  the  Cow  proves  herself  to  be  of  the 
First  Order. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  twelve 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  characteristic  marks  are  the  same  as  in  the  First  Order  ;  the  escutcheon, 
however,  being  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  streaks  (C  C)  to  the  right  and  left  of 
the  vulva  are  shorter  and  wider. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  ten  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  in  shape,  but  more  contracted.  The  streak  (C) 
the  vulva,  to  the  left,  is  nearly  five  inches  long,  by  upward  of  an  inch  in  width. 
On  the  right  of  the  fulva  is  a  small  patch  of  ascending  hair  (E),  nearly  three 
inches  long,  by  upward  of  an  inch  in  width.  The  point  0  is  about  six  inches  dis 
tant  from  the  vulva. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  eight 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  on  a  still  smaller  scale.  There  is  but  one  streak  (C)  of  as 
cending  hair  by  the  vulva,  on  the  left,  which  is  eight  inches  long,  by  something 
over  an  inch  in  width. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  six  and  a 
half  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  months  gone  with 
calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller,  lower  down,  and  confined  to  the  interior  surface  of 
the  thighs.  If  any  streaks  of  ascending  hair  occur,  on  the  right  and  left  of  the 
vulva,  they  consist  of  bristling  hair,  and  are  longer  and  wider  than  in  the  preced 
ing  Order. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  five  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  preserves  its  shape,  but  is  still  more  contracted  in  its  dimen 
sions.  The  point  O  is  low^r  down.  On  the  left  of  the  vulva  is  a  streak  of  brist 
ling  hair,  growhrg  upward  F). 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  four 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  still.  The  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (F  F)  on  the 
right  and  left  of  the  vulva  are  wider,  by  about  an  inch,  than  those  above  de 
scribed,  and  the  hair  is  coarse  and  bristling. 

EIGHTH  ORDER.— These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  two 
litres  a  day,  and  20  dry  upon  being  got  with  calf. 

The  escutc  icon  is  so  small,  and  hid  away  between  the  thighs,  as  to  be  barely 
perceptible.  The  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (F  F)  are  still  longer  and  wider  than 
in  the  Seveain  Order. 

COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 

FIRRT  ODKR.— The  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size,  while  at  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  vieid  eievcn  Litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight 
months  gone  wun  cah. 


82 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  nine  litres  a  day,  anu  continue  ts  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  seven  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  Jive  and  a  half  litres  a  day,  and  continue 
to  give  milk  until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  also  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  go  ory  upon  being 
got  with  calf. 


Order  1st, 


TABLE  VII CLASS  7. 

&l)e  Cimottsine  Coto. 

Order  2d.  Order  3d. 


Order  5th, 


Order  6th 


Order  7th, 


Order  8th, 


LOW  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER.— The  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size  yield,  while  at  the  hight  oi 
their  flow,  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  eight  months  gone 
with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  seven  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS.  83 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER.— These  Cows  yield  one  litre  a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got 
with  calf. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  LIMOUSINE  COW. 

In  this  Class  also,  as  in  the  Curveline  and  Bicorn  Classes,  the  Bastard  is  indi 
cated  by  the  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (F  F)  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva  ; 
which  streaks  are  of  the  same  dimensions  and  of  the  same  character  generally 
as  in  those  Classes.  (See  Plate  IX.  Fig.  8.) 


CLASS  VIII. 
f&tye  fjorijontai  CfTut  (£0x0. 

I  have  given  this  name  to  those  Cows  whose  escutcheon  is  bounded  at  top  by 
a  horizontal  line,  which  cuts  the  ascending  hair  square  off  just  when  it  has  spread 
to  its  greatest  width,  The  figure  (Plate  VIII.)  will  be  seen  to  be  very  different 
from  that  of  the  other  Classes. 

HIGH  COW. 

FIRST  ORDER. — The  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size,  during  the  hight  of  their 
flow,  yield  twelve  litres  a  day,  and  they  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are 
eight  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  skin  within  the  escutcheon,  and  the  dandruf  from  it,  are  of  a  reddish  yel 
low.  The  ascending  hair  is  short  and  fine  ;  the  skin  beneath  it  quite  silky ;  the 
four  teats  far  apart.  As  in  the  other  Classes,  the  ascending  hair  which  forms 
the  escutcheon  begins  between  the  four  teats,  and  on  the  inner  surface  of  the 
thighs,  a  little  above  the  hock  joint — spreading  out,  as  it  rises,  to  the  points  E  E, 
on  the  outer  surface  of  the  thighs.  Here  it  is  cut  short  off,  by  a  transversal  or 
horizontal  line,  running  across  from  one  thigh  to  the  other. 

Although  the  escutcheon  does  not  rise,  as  in  the  other  Classes,  to  or  near  the 
vulva,  we  nevertheless  find,  on  the  right  and  left  of  that  orifice,  the  two  streaks 
of  ascending  hair  (C  C),  which  are  so  valuable,  as  an  indication  of  the  character 
of  the  Cow,  in  regard  to  the  period  during  which  she  will  continue  to  give  milk 
after  becoming  pregnant :  this  point  being  determined  by  the  size  of  these  marks 
and  the  nature  of  the  hair  within  them.  In  the  present  Order  they  consist  of 
fine  hair,  and  are  from  three  and  a  quarter  to  four  inches  in  length,  by  less  than 
half  an  inch  broad. 

Above  the  hind  teats  are  two  little  oval  marks  (B  B),  consisting  01  downward 
Bowing  hair,  distinguishable  by  its  whitish  coior  as  we)'  as  nv  me  unection  in 
•s  hich  it  points. 


81  TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


SECOND  OEDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  ten  litre* 
a  day,  and  nrnt;ri:e  to  give  milk  until  they  are  seven  ninths  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  in  shape  as  that  of  the  First  Order,  but  contracted 
in  its  dimensions.  The  streaks  (C  C)  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  vulva  are  une 
qual  in  size — the  one  on  the  left  being  of  the  same  Ipngth  as  in  the  First  Order, 
while  the  one  on  the  right  is  considerably  shorter. 

In  several  of  the  Orders  there  is,  immediately  under  the  vulva,  and  touching 
it,  a  small  streak  of  ascending  hair  (N),  about  two  inches  in  length,  by  less  than 
half  an  inch  in  breadth. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  eight 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  six  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  the  same  in  shape,  but  more  contracted  still  ;  the  points  E 
E  are  lower  down  and  nearer  together.  Alongside  of  the  vulva  there  is  but  one 
streak  of  ascending  hair  (G),  which  bristles  up  and  projects  over.  This  mark  is 
from  five  to  six  inches  long,  by  from  four-fifths  to  iix-fi  ftLs  of  an  inch  in  width. 

On  the  inner  surface  of  the  right  thigh,  begmuing1  at  the  point  A,  there  is  a 
failure  of  the  upward  growing  hair,  which  is  replaced  by  descending  hair.  This 
downward  growth  of  hair  is  wedge-shapea,  pointing  toyrard  the  udder ;  it  is 
about  eight  inches  long,  by  four  inches  ir  tv^tli.  The  hair  is  very  distinguish 
able  by  its  whitish  color. 

Although  I  have  taken  this  plac^  tr  tn?lt  u  known,  this  mark  does  not  always 
{  occur  in  Cows  of  this  Order,  nor  is  ?'   peculiar  to  those  of  the  present  Class. — 
Whenever  it  is  found,  let  the  Co'-v  fee  of  whatever  Class  or  Order  she  may,  it  in 
dicates  that  her  daily  yi^ld  o'"  aiiK  will  fall  about  one-third  short  of  the  quantity 
set  down  as  proper  ifj  a  r*<x  of  that  Class  and  Order. 

FOURTH  ORP^R.-  Tn«se  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  six  litres 
a  day  int*  .,opt;aiie  to  give  milk  until  they  are  four  and  a  half  months  gone  with 
cair. 

TH  escutcheon  is  smaller  and  lower  down  than  in  the  Third  Order.  There  is 
but  one  streak  (N)  of  upward  growing  hair,  which  is  betwixt  the  thighs,  in  a 
line  with  the  vulva,  and  about  two  or  two  and  a  half  inches  from  it.  It  is  about 
four  inches  long,  by  four-fifths  of  an  inch  in  breadth.  Within  the  escutcheon 
there  are  two  failures  (A  A)  of  the  upward  growing  hair,  like  the  one  above  de 
scribed — that  on  the  right  being  larger  than  the  other. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  Jive  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  three  and  a  half  months  gone 
with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller  still,  and  lower  down.  On  the  left  of  the  vulva 
there  is  a  streak  (F)  of  upward  growing  hair,  coarse  and  bristling.  This  mark  is 
about  six  inches  long,  by  an  inch  and  a  half  in  width. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  in  regard  to  the  streaks  alongside  of  the  vulva,  that  when 
they  occur  in  a  Cow  of  an  inferior  Order,  such  as  they  are  described  to  be  in  the 
Cow  of  the  First  Order  ;  in  this  case,  whatever  may  be  the  inferiority  of  the  Cow 
as  to  the  quantity  of  her  daily  yield,  she  will  continue  to  give  her  milk  just  as  a 
Cow  of  the  First  Order  would.  That  is  to  say,  she  will  be  just  as  long  in  going 
dry,  after  being  got  with  calf,  as  a  Cow  of  the  First  Order. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  four  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  smaller,  lower  down,  and  confined  to  the 'inner  surface  of 
the  thighs.  The  longer  and  broader  the  streaks  of  ascending  hair  (F  F)  on  the 


TREATISE    ON  MILCH    COWS. 


right  and  left  of  the  vulva,  and  the  coarser  and  more  bristling  ^ie  nair,  Uie  wo»se 
the  Cow  will  prove  in  regard  to  the  time  she  will  continue  to  give  milk  pfter  be 
ing  got  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  yield  three 
litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  still  smaller  than  the  last.  The  signs  (F)  of  early  drying 
up  are  the  same  as  in  the  foregoing  Order. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  during  the  hight  of  their  flow,  two  litres 
a  day,  and  go  dry  upon  being  got  with  calf. 

The  escutcheon  is  so  hid  away  between  the  thighs  as  to  fee  barely  perceptible. 
Some  coarse  bristling  hairs  (F),  which  grow  awry,  are  seen  pointing  toward  the 
vulva. 


TABLE  VIII CLASS  8. 

(ftlje  $0ri)ontal  Cat  (£0*0. 

Order  2d.         Order  3d,         Order  4th, 


Order  5th, 


Order  6th, 


Order  7th, 


Order  8th, 


COW  OF  MEDIUM  HIGHT, 


1 


FIRST  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield,  while  at  the  hight  of  their  flow,  nine  litres 
a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months  gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  eight  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf.  ) 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  seven  hires  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  \ 
until  five  months  gone  with  calf.  ( 


86  TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


FOURTH  r  DEE..— These  Cows  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  one  month  gone  with  calf. 

EIGHTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  cease  to  give  milk 
upon  being  got  with  calf. 

LOW  COW, 

FIRST  ORDER. — The  Cows  of  this  Order  and  Size,  while  at  the  hignt  of  their 
flow,  yield  six  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk  until  they  are  eight  months 
gone  with  calf. 

SECOND  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  five  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  seven  months  gone  with  calf. 

THIRD  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  four  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  five  months  gone  with 'calf. 

FOURTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  three  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give 
milk  until  four  months  gone  with  calf. 

FIFTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  two  litres  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  three  months  gone  with  calf. 

SIXTH  ORDER. — These  Cows  yield  one  litre  a  day,  and  continue  to  give  milk 
until  two  months  gone  with  calf. 

SEVENTH  AND  EIGHTH  ORDERS.— These  Cows  yield  still  less,  and  go  dry  upon 
being  got  with  calf. 

BASTARD  OF  THE  HORIZONTAL  CUT  COW. 

The  Bastards  of  this  Class  have  no  escutcheon  whatever.  The  entire  space 
from  the  vulva  to  the  udder,  and  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs,  is  covered 
with  hair  growing  downward  ;  no  growth  of  ascending  hair  is  to  be  found  upon 
the  parts  where  the  escutcheon  occurs  in  the  other  Classes,  and  in  the  Genuine 
Cow  of  this  Class. 

Some  of  these  Bastards  are  excellent  milkers,  so  long  as  they  are  not  impreg 
nated  ;  but  so  soon  as  they  are  got  with  calf,  or  a  very  short  time  afterward,  they 
go  dry.  Those  in  whom  the  hair  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  thighs  is  thick  and 
very  fine,  will  be  found  to  give  good  rich  milk.  The  reverse  holds  in  regard  to 
the  quality  of  the  milk  yielded  by  those  in  whom  these  parts  are  covered  with  a 
scanty  growth  of  coarse  hair. 


BASTARD  BULLS. 

Having  attached  to  the  portion  of  the  work  appropriated  to  each  Class  a  de 
scription  of  the  Bastard  Cow  belonging  to  it,  I  must  indicate  here  the  sisrns  hv 
which  a  Bastard  Bull  is  to  be  known. 

Bulls  have  escutcheons  of  the  same  shapes  as  those  of  me  Cows ,  ou/v.  as  t 
have  already  said,  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  growth  of  ascending  nair  whic'- 
forms  the  escutcheon  extends  from  the  testicles  upward,  spreading  on  the  inner 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH   COWS. 


side  of  the  thighs.  Now,  whenever  streaks  of  descending  hair  occur  in  tms  neld 
of  ascending  hair,  giving  rise  to  lines  of  bristling  hairs,  this  is  to  be  lookeu  upou 
as  an  indication  of  imperfection  or  bastardy;  and  the  indication  will  be  certain,  in 
proportion  to  the  size  and  extent  of  these  blemishes  in  the  escutcheon.  Those 
Bulls  in  which  they  do  not  occur,  and  whose  escutcheons,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  are  free  from  these  streaks,  ascend  high  up,  and  are  well  developed  and  de 
fined  ;  every  such  Bull  is  to  be  deemed  genuine,  and  may  be  relied  upon  for  the 
reproduction  of  animals  of  the  highest  order. 


TABLE  IX. 
Cotn  of  ttye  smral 

1st  Class.  1st  Class.  3d  Class.  3d  Class. 

Bastard  Flanders  Cow,  Bastard  Flanders  Cow,  Bastard  Selvage  Cow,  Bastard  Curveline  Cow, 


4th  Class.  5th  Class.  6th  Class.  7th  Class. 

Bastard  Bicorn  Cow,  Bastard  Demijohn  Cow,  Bast'd  Sq,  Scutch.  Cow,   Bast,  Limousine  Cow, 


88 


TREATISE   ON  MILCH  COWS. 


TABLE 


Class. 

1.  FLANDERS  Cow. 


Medium.  16    14 
Low.... 12    10 

2.  SELVAGE  Cow. 
High.... 18    16    14 
Medium.  14    13    " 
Low 10     8 

3.  CURVELINE  COW. 

High.... 18  16 

Medium.  18  13    11 

Low....  12  10 

4.  BICORN  Cow. 
High.... 16  14 
Medium.  14  12 
Low.... 11  9 


VING  THE  YIELD  OF  THE  SE 

in.  iv.  v.  vi.  vii.  viii.  3  §  o 

16    14    12     9      6     4..  20  21  2 

VERAL  ORDERS  OF  EACH  CLASS. 
Class.                                                                      <a 
5.  DEMIJOHN  Cow. 
Order  I.    II.  IIL  IV.    \.  VI.  VILVIILj 
High....  16    14    12    10     8      6     4      2..  10 

sl 

3  O 
10  5 

12    10 

8 

5 

3 

2.. 

Medium.  14    12    10     8 

6 

5 

3 

2.. 

8     6 

4 

3 

2 

1..18 

19  1 

Low....  10      8      6£    5 

4 

3 

2 

1..  9 

9  4t 

6.    SQUARE-SCUTCHEON  COV 

14    12 

10 

8 

6 

4.  .16 

17  0 

High  16    14    12    10 

8 

fi 

4 

2..  8 

8  4 

U    10 

8 

6 

4 

3.. 

Medium.  12    10      8      6 

4* 

31 

2 

Ik- 

j      4 

3 

2 

2 

1..15 

15  7fc 

Low  9      8      6     4£ 

3j 

2| 

1 

4-  7 

7  3i 

T. 

7.  LIMOUSINE  Cow. 

14    12 

10 

7 

5 

3.  .14 

14  7 

High....  14    12    10     8 

6£ 

5 

4 

2..  6 

6  3 

11      9 

7 

5k 

3J 

2.. 

Medium.  11      9     7*    5J- 

4 

3 

2 

2.. 

8      6 

5 

4" 

3 

2..  13 

13  6_V 

Low....   8765 

4 

3 

2 

1..  5 

5  2J 

8.  HORIZONTAL  Cur  Cow. 

12    10 

8 

6 

4 

3.  .12 

12  6 

High....  12    10     8     6 

5 

4 

3 

2..  4 

4  2 

10     8 

6 

4 

3 

2*. 

Medium.  9876 

5 

4 

3 

2.. 

7     5 

4 

3 

0 

11  5i 

Low....  6543 

2 

1  less  than  1.3 

3H 

49 


48  47  46  45 


SKELETON  OF  THE  OX. 
43         42  41  40 


1.  The  temporal  bone. 

2.  The  frontal  bone,  or  bone  of  the  forehead. 
3   The  orbit  of  the  eye. 

4.  The  lachrymal  bone. 

5.  The  malar,  or  cheek  bone. 

6.  The  upper  jaw-bone. 

7.  The  nasal  bone,  or  bone  of  the  nose. 

8.  The  nippers,  found  on  the  lower  jaw  alone. 

9.  The  eight  true  ribs. 

10.  The  humerus,  or  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder. 

11.  The  sternum. 

12.  The  ulna,  its  upper  part  forming  the  elbow. 

13.  The  ulna. 

14.  The  radius,  or  principal  bone  of  the  arm. 

15.  The  small  bones  of  the  knee. 

16.  The  large  metacarpal,  or  shank  bone. 

17.  The  bifurcation  at  the  pasterns,  and  the  two 

larger  pasterns  to  each  foot. 

18.  The  sessamoid  hones. 

19.  The  bifurcation  of  the  pasterns. 
00.  The  lower  jaw  and  the  grinders. 

21.  The  vertebra,  or  bones  of  the  neck. 

22.  Tho  navicular  bones. 

23.  The  two-coffin  bones  to  each  foot. 

34.  The  two  smaller  pasterns  to  each  foot. 
The  smaller  or  splint-bone. 


The  false  ribs,  with  their  cartilages. 

The  patella,  or  bone  of  the  knee. 

The  small  bones  of  the  hock. 

The  metatarsals,  or  larger  bones  of  the  hind  leg. 

The  pasterns  and  feet. 

The  small  bones  of  the  hock. 

The  point  of  the  hock. 

The  tibia,  or  proper  leg-bone. 

The  thigh-bone. 

The  bones  of  the  taiL 

j-  The  haunch  and  pelvis. 

The  sacrum. 

The  bones  of  the  loins. 

The  bones  of  the  back. 

The  ligament  of  the  neck  and  its  attachments. 

The  scapula,  or  shoulder-blade. 

The  bones  of  the  back. 

The  ligament  of  the  neck. 

The  dentata. 

The  atlas. 

The  occipital  bone,  deeply  depressed  below  the 

crest,  or  ridge  of  the  head. 
Tho  parietal  bone,  low  in  the  temporal  fossa. 
The  horns,  being  processes  or  continuations  of 
the  frontal  bone. 


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